Celtic take on Livingston this afternoon in the Scottish Cup quarter-final, opening up a chance for the Bhoys to reach a semi-final at Hampden for the first time this campaign.
Following a tumultuous turn of events last weekend at Tynecastle in defeat, Brendan Rodgers will be keen for his side to react against David Martindale’s outfit, who arrive without a win in three matches.
As far as team news goes, Hyunjun Yang is suspended for the tie and won’t be involved. On the same token, Luis Palma is carrying a knock and is unlikely to be risked against the Lions.
Callum McGregor and fellow midfielder Reo Hatate are sidelined due to injury, which may allow Daniel Kelly to make his first senior start in green and white.
Undoubtedly, Celtic have endured a season of ups and downs, providing an emotional rollercoaster for fans that hasn’t always been the easiest to deal with amid a spate of dropped points in the Scottish Premiership.
Nevertheless, reaching the semi-final of the Scottish Cup would be no mean feat, and a day out at the national stadium is likely to boost confidence and generate excitement ahead of the season run-in.
Fans looking to secure last-minute match tickets can still do so via the official club website. For those who cannot attend, Viaplay are showing all the action from Parkhead, with build-up commencing at 2 pm ahead of the 2.30 pm kick-off.
Mark Wilson says Brendan Rodgers has to start two Celtic men
Ahead of the Bhoys’ home tie against Livingston, former Celtic man Mark Wilson has signalled his belief that Adam Idah and Kyogo Furuhashi should be given the nod to start in a strike partnership.
Both dovetailed during the second half of proceedings in our 2-0 defeat to Heart of Midlothian last weekend, and the 39-year-old thinks both men could complement each other nicely against Livingston’s backline.
Wilson stated [Clyde 1 Superscoreboard]: “I thought Kyogo and Idah looked good together when you seen them, even though Celtic had ten men.
“I thought they linked up well. Kyogo was just playing off him. I thought their movement was good and they made it difficult for Hearts and created a few chances.
“I just wonder, would they tweak the shape (to face Livingston)? He never usually tweaks it; he’s done it once or twice.”
Celtic need to find a way to break down Livingston today
Undoubtedly, Livingston will travel to Parkhead keen to soak up pressure, which may create a scenario where Celtic are tasked with cracking open a low-block defensive structure.
Of course, we have operated with Idah and Furuhashi in conjunction before, with Rodgers opting to play the latter in a slightly deeper role.
The Irishman indicated that he could deploy the tactic again, stating last month regarding Furuhashi: “We know what he can do when he is playing through the middle. Sometimes, against teams that are low, he is maybe not involved as much, so this gives him a chance to connect the game for us. It’s an option and one we can use again.”
It remains to be seen if this approach will be used in today’s encounter, though fans will care little as long as we progress to the last four of the competition.
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