This will be the first Glasgow derby between Celtic and Rangers without Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo left Celtic in the January transfer window after dominating on the domestic stage in Scotland, especially against Rangers.
But, on Sunday, when Celtic lock horns with Rangers, it’s going to be without the man who scored so many goals under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.
Instead, Kyogo’s fellow countryman, Daizen Maeda, has taken over those responsibilities and he can’t stop scoring, including finding the back of the net at the weekend against Hibernian in the Scottish Cup.
That’s 27 goals in all competitions for Maeda and he is the clear dangerman Rangers have to watch out for on Sunday at Celtic Park.
But if Kyogo was still in Glasgow, would he start the derby at the weekend, especially with Maeda in this type of form?
- READ MORE: Celtic told one thing Kyogo did was ‘better than’ Daizen Maeda and he ‘won’t ever get to that level’
Pundits argue if Kyogo Furuhashi would start up front for Celtic against Rangers if he didn’t leave
It’s amazing how fans reacted when Kyogo left for Rennes, both the surprise of the club he chose to join and the timing of his transfer.
Added to that, Celtic didn’t help themselves because he wasn’t replaced and it left many wondering if the goals would slightly dry up.
But that has been far from the case because Maeda has been on another level, yet still, Marvin Bartley would start Kyogo up top if he was still at the club and put Nicolas Kuhn on the bench.
It’s fair to say that his fellow Clyde 1 Superscoreboard pundit, Roger Hannah, was having none of it.
“Would he (Kyogo) get a game up front for Celtic, at the moment, ahead of Maeda,” asked Gordon Duncan.
Bartley responded: “Yes. Maeda has to go wide. Kyogo, at his best.” Roger Hannah then argued: “But he hasn’t been at his best.”
Bartley added: “You have to look at it, not just over the last three months him being at Celtic, but over his whole Celtic career.”
Hannah then stated: “What about this, though. The manager of Japan, who has been getting slaughtered by the Scottish media for three or four years, because he picks Maeda in front of Kyogo. He will be laughing up his sleeve.”
If Kyogo rocked up now, who would start the Rangers game: “Kyogo,” insisted Bartley. “Yeah. Kyogo, Jota on the left and Maeda on the right.”
Hannah added: “No chance. Oh, come on now. No chance.” Before Bartley joked: “Kyogo is playing. Roger, I am going to kick you under this chair.”
Kyogo’s record against Rangers
One thing you can’t argue is that, no matter what form Kyogo was in, he would always cook and produce against Rangers.
Whether it would be at Celtic Park, Ibrox, Hampden, the League Cup, Scottish Cup or the Premiership. You could always bank on Kyogo scoring against Rangers.
That’s what made him even more popular with the fans and it’s a legacy that will last for a very long time.
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