James McFadden predicts Celtic’s cup final midfield trio as star backed for key future role

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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has plenty of selection dilemmas this weekend to wade through before his side’s Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers.

Arguably, the most contentious area to consult is midfield, where Paulo Bernardo and Arne Engels are directly vying for a start, presuming Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate are selected.

Unfortunately, Luke McCowan is cup-tied for Celtic following his Premier Sports Cup involvement with Dundee earlier in the campaign, narrowing down the options to choose from for Brendan Rodgers.

On Tuesday, Bernardo was preferred to Engels in the Bhoys’ stalemate with Zagreb, putting in a steely display before the Belgium international came on and nearly set up Adam Idah for a dramatic winner.

Now, Rodgers has to quantify where his tactical framework sits with either player on an afternoon where n sentiment can be spared as Celtic go all out for cup glory.

James McFadden on Celtic’s midfield and Luke McCowan role

Speaking on Open Goal, James McFadden believes that Bernardo should be the one to feature for Celtic against Rangers at Hampden, while he also suggested that McCowan will be an important asset in the future amid his bright start to life at Parkhead.

He explained: “Bernardo, Hatate, McGregor because Hatate, for me, it’s almost like when he has a game where he’s below his standard (some people say), look, he can’t be bothered.

“It’s not that, sometimes he’s taken a bad game, but for me, he’s always playing (from the start).”

On McCowan being cup-tied: “McCowan is now in position where he should be pushing for starting. Every time he comes on, he’s so good.”

Celtic have a brilliant array of midfield options at their disposal

Creativity, energy and athleticism are all needed in midfield, alongside an element of control. Celtic have all of these attributes present in their engine room and several individuals that can help to offer different ideas in stick or twist moments.

Rodgers feels comfortable rotating in the area because he knows there isn’t a major drop-off between starters and substitutes; everyone has their role to play.

Hopefully, whatever decision he makes tomorrow afternoon, Celtic can seize the initiative against Rangers to show why they deserve to bring silverware back to Glasgow’s east end.