Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has a number of players who could prove to be match-winners in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers at Hampden.
As dissected by 67 Hail Hail, the Bhoys’ boss has several selection dilemmas to come to a conclusion on as competition for places in his squad continues to stir debate.
Notably, Greg Taylor and Alex Valle are fighting for a slot at left-back, while Paulo Bernardo and Arne Engels’ midfield battle is likely to split the support down the middle.
Of course, Celtic retain a core of Glasgow Derby tormenters that will strike fear into their arch-rivals. Barry Ferguson is worried about Kyogo Furuhashi’s potential to hurt Rangers after eight goals in 15 appearances against Philippe Clement’s outfit.
Previewing proceedings, Gordon Dalziel has pointed out another Celtic star that may be hard to pin down this Sunday.
Gordon Dalziel on Daizen’s Maeda’s danger for Celtic
Speaking on Open Goal, Dalziel put forward concern for Rangers surrounding Daizen Maeda, with the Japanese winger cited as someone who could trouble their backline regardless of who his direct marker is on the day.
He stated: “The argument to that is, I think Maeda on his game can do that to anybody, whether it’s Sterling or Tavernier.
“It’s just unfortunate that everybody looks at and highlights Rangers against Celtic; he’s terrorised Tavernier.
“I don’t think saying ‘right, okay’, let’s put Sterling in here guarantees you that you’re going to keep Maeda quiet.”
Daizen Maeda enjoys life in the Glasgow Derby
Evaluating Maeda’s record against Rangers, he has scored three times and picked up four assists in 16 appearances across all competitions.
More often than not, he is a go-to man for Celtic on the big occasion and is capable of ghosting in at the back post – much to the detriment of James Tavernier.
Regardless of who starts for the opposition, the Bhoys would love a repeat scenario as they look to secure Premier Sports Cup glory.
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