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What we spotted from Celtic training before St Johnstone clash as starting spot clue dropped

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Celtic are back in action this weekend as they make the trip to Perth to face St Johnstone.

Brendan Rodgers takes his side to the Scottish Premiership strugglers where the two clubs could literally not be any further from each other in the division.

Position Team Played MP Won W Drawn D Lost L For GF Against GA Diff GD Points Pts
1 CelticCeltic31 25 3 3 92 20 72 78
2 RangersRangers31 20 5 6 66 31 35 65
3 HibernianHibernian31 12 11 8 48 41 7 47
4 AberdeenAberdeen31 13 7 11 42 47 -5 46

It has been a season to remember so far for Celtic and one to forget for their McDiarmid Park opponents with manager Simo Valakari already sounding nervous about the game without a ball having been kicked in anger yet.

Celts know a few more wins will seal the title and they are ready to start with three points away from home on what has been a happy hunting ground for the Glasgow giants in recent seasons.

Celtic FC v Heart of Midlothian FC - William Hill Premiership
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Rodgers will likely welcome back injured stars who missed the 3-2 Rangers defeat two weeks ago and who sat on the sidelines against Hearts last weekend.

And in the final training session before the match this weekend, 67 Hail Hail picked out a few takeaways that could point to the boss’ plans for tomorrow.

Another shrimp on the barbecue?!

The sunshine has been glowing in Glasgow and Rodgers was certainly looking to take advantage of it.

In a rare moment of interaction with the Celtic TV training cameras, Rodgers chuckled: “You were talking about barbecues…

“Get the barbecues out when there’s a wee bit of sun.” It was nice to see the gaffer in such high spirits.

Schmeichel puts in the work

The goalie was injured on international duty but Rodgers explained how he could return quicker than the initial six-week diagnosis.

Incredibly, Schmeichel shocked fans by returning to training and he helped put his teammates through their paces as he does. It’s unlikely he’ll be back any time soon but at least he’s still involved.

Liam Scales back on the pitch

An injury suffered vs St Mirren has kept the Irishman sidelined for a few weeks but fans will be glad to see him back on the grass at Lennoxtown.

Maik Nawrocki – who also trained – has done well at the back in his and Auston Trusty’s absence, but now both have returned.

Vil Sinisalo looks fresh after Celtic league debut

It was a clean sheet and a win last weekend as Celtic beat Hearts 3-0 on Sinisalo’s first league start.

The Finn would have been pleased with his performance and in training this weekend, the 23-year-old looked sharp as he faced shots from Schmeichel to keep him warmed up.

He looks a decent prospect, certainly.

Starters and subs?

Okay, perhaps we at 67 Hail Hail are guilty of over-analysing and over-thinking, but there may have been a clue dropped as to which players might start vs St Johnstone.

Celtic FC v Heart of Midlothian FC - William Hill Premiership
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

As Rodgers’ team did their stretches and running drills, the main core of the traditional starting XI worked together while the subs and younger players were on the other side.

In the top group signaled a possible return for Trusty with Adam Idah a possible starter through the middle? Jeff Schlupp, Arne Engels and Callum McGregor were there, too.

Again, James Forrest was featured which could indicate it was complete coincidence. But Celtic fans are entitled to speculate.