Celtic travel to Ibrox next month in a clash that is crucial amid their unremitting hunt for the Scottish Premiership title.
Brendan Rodgers’ men will first concentrate on their trip to face Livingston this Sunday before the Glasgow Derby is upon us, and David Martindale is feeling optimistic that his outfit will trouble the Bhoys’ backline.
He stated last week: “Going to Parkhead, you’re trying to stay in the game in difficult moments, but coming to Livingston, I think you’ll have some moments yourself. It’s about trying to take those opportunities.”
This campaign, Celtic have won their three outings against the Lions, once by a three-goal margin and twice by two; however, they will be well aware of the threat the West Lothian-based side retain on a tricky artificial surface.
Once we finish up at Livingston, the Bhoys enter the week leading up to a pivotal fixture at Ibrox, though they aren’t set to have any away supporters present at the tie.
Nevertheless, Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor and Liam Scales could all be back in contention by then; meanwhile, Cameron Carter-Vickers is expected to take a leading role at the back, provided he can evade his repetitive fitness struggles.
Paul Lambert says Celtic don’t need Reo Hatate to defeat Rangers
Former Celtic midfielder Paul Lambert has gone to Ibrox and prevailed in all manner of scenarios, and doesn’t think having Hatate on the pitch is necessary to get one over our closest rivals.
The Japan international played 45 minutes of a bounce game against St Mirren last week as he continues to build his match fitness; nevertheless, Lambert believes Rodgers and company will need to take a holistic view regarding his fitness, citing that other individuals can step in and perform efficiently.
Lambert explained [The Celtic Way]: “It doesn’t matter who is playing for Celtic in that midfield area – Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, or Matt O’Riley – they are going to have to be brave and take the ball. I always say ‘never hide’.
“There is no hiding place in a derby match. It is a game where you need to be brave both physically and mentally. You have to demand the ball at all times. To be fair, Celtic have that in abundance.
He later added: “Players like Hatate – if he plays – and O’Riley are going to have to put their shoulders to the wheel for this encounter. As for Hatate, everybody is saying that Celtic have missed him after they started dropping points.
“Nobody was saying that at the beginning when Celtic surged eight points clear in the title race. Callum, Matt, Paulo Bernardo and Tomoki Iwata were all doing okay in the middle of the park but when one or two results started going against Celtic then all of a sudden it was down to the fact that Hatate wasn’t there.
“Hatate has not played for a long time and he has missed a hell of a lot of football this season so Celtic will need to assess how he is fitness-wise. There is no doubting his ability, that’s for sure.”
Reo Hatate shouldn’t be risked for Celtic if he isn’t fully fit
It would be easy to throw Hatate in if he were fully fit; however, Celtic should hold off on throwing the 26-year-old back into the firing line if there are any lingering doubts about his condition.
The former Kawasaki Frontale midfielder featured just once since the turn of the year for the Bhoys before picking up a calf problem on AFC Asian Cup duty with Japan.
Either way, having his services available sooner rather than later would be a major boost for Rodgers as we look to complete a domestic double.
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