Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action this weekend against St Johnstone following an eventful victory over Livingston in the Scottish Cup.
The Bhoys managed to see off David Martindale’s outfit by virtue of their clinical exploits in attack, culminating in a hat-trick from Japan international Daizen Maeda.
Kyogo Furuhashi grabbed the fourth goal for Celtic following a neatly timed flick-on from James Forrest, registering his 14th goal of the campaign inside 39 appearances [Transfermarkt].
On the contrary, Brendan Rodgers wasn’t entirely pleased with what he saw in his side’s action-packed triumph over the Lions, criticising Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh for their lack of urgency in progressing the ball.
The Irishman stated: “I wasn’t comfortable. We gave them too many possibilities in the game. The two centre-halves needed to be higher up the pitch and just more aggressive to sustain the attacks.”
Swiftly moving on, Celtic have been drawn against Aberdeen in the last four of the competition, with the showpiece occasion at Hampden taking place on the weekend of April 20th/21st [Celtic FC].
Back to league duty, the Hoops take on a St Johnstone side bereft of confidence, having managed to accumulate just one win in their last six.
Nevertheless, we all remember the frustration experienced last August when Celtic drew a blank against the Perthshire side at Parkhead, which hopefully won’t be the case this time around.
Mark Wilson tips Kyogo Furuhashi to start for Celtic this Saturday
Following his goalscoring exploits against Livingston last time out, former Celtic defender Mark Wilson has tipped the 29-year-old to re-enter the fold this weekend as the Bhoys look to sink St Johnstone.
Wilson stated on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: “I thought Kyogo, again I’m repeating myself, looked good when he came on at Tynecastle.
“I think he looked like a player with something to prove to get back in the side, and he’s done his chances no harm today ( last Sunday) with coming on, being lively, a few efforts on goal, and a goal to finish.
“You might just find him back in the team next week.”
Given Adam Idah’s frustrations in front of the target at Tynecastle, coupled with his failure to get on the scoresheet against Livingston, it may be time to freshen things up through the middle; meanwhile, the prospect of playing the Irishman alongside Furuhashi is also a compelling one.
Either way, the latter has been a livewire in his limited minutes over the last two weeks, capping off his successful cameo in the dying embers last week by slotting past Lions’ goalkeeper Michael McGovern.
Furuhashi has an uncanny knack for turning up in crunch moments, and Rodgers should prioritize ensuring he is in the starting line-up come Saturday.
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