Odsonne Edouard should sit out Celtic’s next two league games

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The return of Leigh Griffiths to the Celtic side in the recent 4-0 win over Livingston has come at just the right time. After Thursday night’s game against Rennes, Celtic will play nine games in December, including two Glasgow derbies.

The first of those derbies takes place next Sunday, in the Betfred Cup Final. That game is huge in a number of ways, but most importantly it is a chance to win the first trophy of the season, and put one over on bitter rivals Rangers.

Before the cup final though, Celtic have to league games to navigate, against Ross County on Sunday, and Hamilton on Wednesday. Celtic boss Neil Lennon should take a calculated gamble in those games – he should rest Odsonne Edouard for both fixtures.

Returning striker will be desperate to play

Some fans will no doubt be horrified at the prospect of Celtic leaving out such an important player with six league points up for grabs. That is where Griffiths comes in. He may only have returned from injury, but he will be desperate to feature for the Hoops, after being out of action since August.

That is why the timing of his return is so fortuitous. It gives Celtic the chance to rest a key player ahead of a massive Glasgow derby. With all due respect to Ross County and Hamilton, Celtic should be good enough to beat them after resting one of the Hoops’ key men.

Squad players could be given a chance

For those wanting to put Edouard on the bench, that could be an option, but his removal from the squad could give a chance to the likes of Marian Shved or Scott Sinclair a chance to come in from the cold. Neither player is a natural striker, but they could do a job up-front for a spell.

It would be a gamble for Lennon to rest Edouard for these games, but it is one which the manager should take. The Hoops are more than good enough to get six points with Griffiths up-front. Therefore, after the Rennes game Edouard should not play again for the Hoops until he faces Rangers at Hampden Park. He has such a great record against Rangers that the Hoops need him to be fully fit for that game. He could be the man to secure the trophy, Neil Lennon will know that. That is why resting the player is a risk worth taking.