Neil Lennon named a pretty-much full-strength side for Celtic’s most recent friendly clash – a 0-0 draw against St. Gallen. The match against the Swiss Super League outfit was the Hoops’ final warm-up match before the start of their Champions League qualification campaign.
Lennon’s men start against FK Sarajevo on Tuesday and you wouldn’t be totally surprised if he named an identical team in the Bosnian capital.
One man likely to start in the soaring temperatures will be James Forrest – but where will he play? The Scottish international featured in Tuesday’s match as an attacking midfielder, directly behind forward Odsonne Edouard.
Could Forrest be used as an attacking midfielder?
Usual playmaker Tom Rogic is currently out with ankle and knee issues while interest from Russia could see him depart the club this summer. That means that Forrest could be asked to play the central role more often this coming year.
The 27-year-old has the ability to play inside and has been used their sporadically during his lengthy Celtic career. The winger made a telling impact from the position in last season’s Scottish Cup victory over Hibernian – drilling home a scorcher from 25-yards in the 2-0 win.
Forrest’s game has come on so much in recent years, to the extent that he could now play the central role to good effect. His game is no longer solely about pace, with Forrest’s final end product improving drastically.
It will be interesting to see if Lennon trusts him in the role in Bosnia next week. He may not have too many other options while Rogic is out of action.
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