The pre-match Celtic-Rennes press conference will take place later today, and there are several intriguing issues that could do with being discussed.
Neil Lennon is looking to secure to the top spot in Celtic’s Europa League group. Victory for the Hoops and a defeat for Cluj would confirm it, and it would be another first for the club after securing qualification with two games still remaining.
However, there are a couple of other topics that could be brought to Lennon ahead of tonight’s presser, and not all of them are on the actual game.
Here’s a look at the three main questions we would ask Neil this evening.
How many changes can we expect tomorrow?
Undoubtedly, one of the hot topics heading into the Rennes clash is whether we’ll play a weakened side. We argued yesterday why that shouldn’t be the case.
Lennon has already touched on what he could do in the past. He recently said in the Herald that he can’t afford to make sweeping changes, and that he just wants to get the job done. However, he also stated in the Celtic View two weeks ago that it’s a good opportunity for the fringe-men to impress (Volume 55, Issue 19, Pages 8 and 9).
“It’s important to give players game-time at that level so the players who haven’t had a chance to play will maybe get the opportunity to play in some of these games.”
So our question would be simple – what will it be Neil? Are we going full steam ahead or will there indeed be changes?
What are your plans for Marian Shved between now and the winter break?
The squad is highly likely to be used and rotated regularly between now and the mid-season break. Chances for the likes of Lewis Morgan, Olivier Ntcham, and Nir Bitton should be regular – but what about Marian Shved?
He’s been a bit of a mystery this season. The Ukrainian youngster hasn’t managed to play a part in any of our last six matchday squads (Transfermarkt). Overall, he’s made only two appearances this season and looks to be frozen-out at Parkhead.
Yet, the intriguing thing about this is how highly he’s rated and the pedigree he arrived with. Having two senior Ukraine appearances under his belt is impressive, and he also left as the third-highest scorer in his country last season. You wonder why we have hardly seen him.
The player recently defended his move to Scotland, claiming to The Scottish Sun that he was happy at the club. He also suggested playing time could be on the horizon after featuring for his country during this month’s international break.
He said: “The coaches and manager of Celtic have told me if I keep working hard I will soon start to get minutes on the pitch for them, but it hasn’t happened yet.
“It was great for me to get on the pitch against Ukraine and hopefully I will get some minutes for Celtic soon too.”
Does Lennon have any imminent first-team plans for him? Or will he be sent out on-loan in January after a disappointing first-half of the campaign?
Is Lewis Morgan available in January? If so, is St Mirren a viable option?
We’ve given our opinion on this already – we don’t believe St Mirren is the ideal place for Morgan to progress over the next few months.
Jim Goodwin has certainly expressed his own admiration for him but has also stated that Celtic haven’t shown any signs that he’s for sale (Scottish Sun).
Morgan has been in and out of the team this season, and now has Mohamed Elyounoussi and Mikey Johnston ahead of him in the pecking order.
Does Neil truly see him as a first-team man this season? If things continue the way they are during the second half of the campaign, surely the manager needs to think about letting him leave if only temporarily.
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