Celtic are in a race for the Scottish Premiership crown and will be desperate to clinch a third successive league trophy.
Brendan Rodgers’ men will believe they have a fighting chance of tasting victory in the Scottish Cup; however, they will need to bypass a stiff test at St Mirren to enter the quarter-final stage.
As we so often realise over the course of the season, it is a marathon not a sprint in the never-ending quest for silverware at the Hoops.
Nevertheless, game time will need to be distributed efficiently among the squad to avoid burning out key first-team players.
Although the transfer window is open, Celtic have only added Nicolas Kuhn to their ranks and the clock is ticking if other potential targets are to arrive this month.
In that case, Rodgers may opt to look to his squad for added sustenance to help his side get over the line. Without further ado, 67 Hail Hail take a look at three players who could feature more often in the second portion of the campaign.
Stephen Welsh
First and foremost, Stephen Welsh is a player who could be in line for more first-team opportunities if he can steer clear of injury.
Last summer, the Coatbridge-born defender put pen to paper on a new long-term contract before suffering damage to his ankle ligament that required surgery.
Returning to action against Feyenoord in December, the 24-year-old was then given a start in the Glasgow Derby late last month before being withdrawn after just 35 minutes, per Transfermarkt.
Now back and firing on all cylinders, he appeared against Buckie Thistle as a substitute at the weekend to replace Maik Nawrocki on 79 minutes [BBC Sport].
Before the match he also spoke about his positive relationship with Rodgers, as he stated [Celtic FC Official YouTube channel]: “The gaffer has been class for me. He just put me into both the Feyenoord and Rangers games and if I know that he trusts me to go and play then makes things ten times easier.”
With Nat Phillips now back at Liverpool following his loan spell, Welsh could be be someone who is called upon to carry out defensive duties when necessary.
Odin Thiago Holm
Odin Thiago Holm has shown some flashes of real promise since arriving in Glasgow last summer for a reported fee of £2.5 million.
Despite his clear potential, the Norway Under-21 international has managed to feature just eight times in the Scottish Premiership, notching a solitary assist against St Mirren last November [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, the Trondheim-born man has managed to create two big chances in his limited minutes in the league alongside recording a respectable pass accuracy of 83% in the Scottish top-flight [Sofascore].
Undoubtedly, Holm’s confidence will also be boosted after the weekend’s events. Sidestepping a couple of challenges and playing a neat one-two, he slotted home the Hoops’ second goal in their 5-0 rout of Buckie Thistle to net his first strike for the club.
Long-term, Holm will have his part to play, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were to be given more first-
team openings during a tight upcoming fixture schedule.
Rocco Vata
Admittedly, this one may be a little more far-fetched than the previous two players mentioned and will depend on a few conditions.
Rocco Vata is out of contract in the summer and speculation is doing the rounds over his next steps. Italian sides Bologna and Como FC have expressed interest in taking the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international away from Glasgow.
Despite concerns over his contractual situation, the 18-year-old managed to tuck away his first senior goal for Celtic at the weekend against Highland League opposition owing to some excellent approach play by Mikey Johnston.
It is no secret that the Bhoys are in the hunt for a striker; however, Rodgers has admitted that it could be a “difficult sell” to convince someone to come into the club and play second-fiddle to Kyogo Furuhashi [The Herald].
Should another forward option fail to arrive at Parkhead, the Irishman may find it hard to look past Vata’s 12 goals in 15 appearances across the Lowland League campaign this campaign.
Only time will tell in that regard, but the Bhoys are believed to be in the process of trying to renew his terms at the club [Anthony Joseph].
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