Celtic boss Neil Lennon has some intriguing decisions to make when it comes to picking the Hoops’ starting line-up to face Copenhagen on Thursday.
Will he keep faith in his 3-5-2 formation or make a change? Will Ryan Christie return to the starting line-up? Can Greg Taylor return from injury in time? These are all issues that the Hoops manager will have to address.
There is also one other player who should be in Lennon’s thoughts for the fixture – Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The attacker recently returned from a long-term foot injury against Clyde and also featured against Hearts. However, he was an unused substitute in the recent 2-1 win over Aberdeen.
Maybe that is an indication that Lennon plans to start the player against Copenhagen. It should not be forgotten just how important Elyounoussi was to Celtic making the last 32 of the Europa League.
Started every group stage fixture until injury
He started every game of the group stage until he picked up his foot injury. He was also excellent in the vital win over Cluj, scoring in the 2-0 victory.
For Elyounoussi to get back into the team, Neil Lennon might have to change from the 3-5-2 formation Celtic have been playing in recent weeks.
However, that is worth doing if it manages to get the Hoops a result in Denmark. Starting a player of Elyounoussi’s quality would also go a long way towards helping the team get a result to take into the second leg.
No guarantee he will be at club next season
It should also be remembered that as Elyounoussi is on loan, there is no guarantee that he is going to be at the club next season.
Therefore, Celtic should look to use the player as often as possible, and in as many big games as possible, this season.
It doesn’t get that much bigger than a Europa League last 32 game for Celtic. That is why Neil Lennon should look to find a place in the starting line-up for Elyounoussi.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
