Celtic are back in action on Wednesday as we face Yokohama F. Marinos.
It’s the first of two games we’ll face in Japan and the opposition could hardly be tougher. F. Marinos are the reigning champions of the J1 League and joint-top halfway through the current season.
They will be fit, sharp and ready to make an impression against European opposition.
Celtic’s pre-season schedule has been a low-key affair to far. Only a select few gatecrashers will have seen either of the games against Portuguese side Portimonense live.
The club did at least run some highlights for the second clash, but things will be taken up a notch with Wednesday’s game at the vast Nissan Stadium.
It’s the first notable game of the season. It may only be a friendly but we’re expecting Brendan Rodgers to name a strong starting line-up.
Joe Hart is most likely to start in nets. He’ll be looking to build on a penalty save in Saturday’s win over Portimonense.
In defence, Bosun Lawal could start at right-back with question marks over Anthony Ralston’s condition. With Alistair Johnston missing at the moment, it would be a big chance for Lawal to show what he can do.
In the centre we could see Carl Starfelt and Yuki Kobayashi, with Greg Taylor at left-back.
In midfield, expect Callum McGregor to start, perhaps with Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley in front of him.
In attack, we could see Sead Haksabanovic given a chance to show what he can do, with Daizen Maeda on the left and Kyogo Furuhashi up front. Our team has a pretty large Japanese influence, with only Tomoki Iwata not starting.
You can expect to see a number of changes at half-time and throughout the match. As always with pre-season, the priority if fitness and match sharpness.
But the game is also an opportunity to get our football going on a pretty big stage. And to try and win. Our Japanese contingent will be particularly keen to manage the latter.
In other news, Shunsuke Nakamura has met with the five Japanese Celtic players for a special event
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