Celtic’s three matches since the return from the international break have been a joy to watch.
Playing attractive, winning football, Neil Lennon has inspired his team to reach new heights of the season so far.
The schedule doesn’t let up in the wake of Sunday’s trip to Pittodrie though with St Mirren on the immediate horizon this Wednesday night.
The visitors have won just once in their last eight matches, with five of those ending in defeat.
Celtic will be heavy favourites for the encounter and while we can’t take anything for granted, it could be an opportunity for the manager to rotate the team a bit and give some of his most regular performers a rest.
There’s a huge League Cup semi-final at the weekend, with a trip to Lazio immediately on the heels of that.
This is the best match on the schedule to bring in some fringe players from the cold and give them a rare start.
Greg Taylor
Taylor is one of the few summer signings yet to make his debut with the club. The form of Boli Bolingoli has just been too consistent over the last couple of months to consider an alternative option.
With Jonny Hayes providing more versatility from the bench, the former Killie has had to remain patient for opportunities.
Only Scott Brown and Callum McGregor have made more appearances than the Belgian this season and he deserves a rest as much as Taylor deserves a chance to show what he can do.
Lennon suggested recently that his summer buy was closing in on a debut.
A home match against St Mirren is a relatively low risk occasion for the left-back and it’d be great to see him make his Celtic Park bow.
Scott Sinclair
The veteran left winger hasn’t been seen in action since a brief cameo off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Hibs at Easter Road. That appearance came hot off the heels of an emotional goal in the League Cup quarter-final against Partick Thistle.
Rather remarkably he hasn’t started a single match all season.
He was on the bench for the trip to Aberdeen though, suggesting he’s still very much part of Lennon’s plans.
Mohamed Elyounoussi is obviously performing well on that flank but it’d be great if we could keep the player fresh for the upcoming Hampden semi-final.
We know Sinclair is more than good enough for a match against St Mirren and it’d be great to see him make a rare start. His goal and celebration against Partick Thistle demonstrated he still has the hunger to succeed at Celtic.
Vakoun Bayo
Odsonne Edouard is in typically fine form right now, scoring twice and assisting four times in our last three matches. The reality is though he can’t be expected to start every single match we play this season.
Of the upcoming schedule, this is the match it makes the most sense to rest him for.
It just so happens that Bayo is in dire need of a start too. Recent performances off the bench haven’t inspired the most confidence, but as we know coming into a match can be more difficult for a player than starting it.
He needs the chance to show what he can do at home against a bottom six team.
Yet to officially score his first league goal for the club, Wednesday night could be the perfect chances for him to do so.
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