Celtic face Livingston this weekend in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup as Brendan Rodgers’ men look to book a place at Hampden for the first time this season.
The Bhoys will be keen to avenge a frustrating defeat to Heart of Midlothian last time out, which has cast an unwelcome shadow amid some questionable refereeing decisions made at Tynecastle.
Despite trying to overturn his red card, Rodgers has to find a way to fare without Hyunjun Yang, who has been suspended for our next two matches following a challenge on Alex Cochrane that led to his dismissal.
Club captain Callum McGregor is out with injury again, and who will fill the void left by the Scotland international in midfield remains to be seen.
Livingston arrive at Parkhead with two victories, one draw, and two losses in their last five matches across all competitions. However, David Martindale’s outfit has slightly improved over recent weeks.
Match tickets are still on sale for the tie via the official Celtic website. Meanwhile, fans unable to attend can catch all the action live on Viaplay, with build-up commencing at 2 p.m. ahead of the 2.30 p.m. kick-off.
Without further ado, 67 Hail Hail take a look at three surprise selections Rodgers could make to freshen up his side ahead of their clash against Livingston.
Daniel Kelly could make his first start for Celtic against Livingston
In light of McGregor’s injury, Tomoki Iwata and Paulo Bernardo struggled to make an impact against Heart of Midlothian last weekend.
Should Rodgers decide to review his options in the engine room ahead of Sunday, Daniel Kelly’s recent breakthrough into the senior fold could well land him a first start in green and white.
The 18-year-old made his first-team debut against Buckie Thistle in the fourth round of the competition earlier this year and registered his maiden senior goal for the Hoops at home to Dundee last week, curling home an excellent right-footed strike in the second half [Transfermarkt].
Kelly is an industrious presence who has started to show glimpses of his promise, which has attracted interest from the likes of Bayern Leverkusen and RB Leipzig towards his services.
Celtic have opened dialogue over a new contract for the youngster, and if Rodgers is serious about his potential, the Irishman could do much worse than offering Kelly a first senior start when David Martindale’s men come calling.
Nicolas Kuhn may be worth giving another chance for Celtic
German winger Nicolas Kuhn has failed to deliver on the £3 million Celtic chose to shell out on his services back in January, with just a solitary goal to show for his opening six appearances for the Hoops [Sofascore].
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old has still only made two starts, making it way too early to write off his chances of becoming a Parkhead success story.
Speaking after securing his signature, Rodgers signalled his excitement at what Kuhn could bring to the table, stating: “He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.”
Granted, we haven’t seen the former Ajax man at full tilt; nevertheless, it may be worth giving him another opportunity this weekend against a side likely to sit in a low block, which we will need pace and trickery to overcome.
Luis Palma, James Forrest and Rocco Vata are among the alternative options in contention, giving Rodgers an important decision to make.
Celtic have striker Hyeongyu Oh waiting in the wings for minutes
Hyeongyu Oh is in danger of becoming Parkhead’s forgotten man due to Adam Idah’s emergence. However, there is every chance of the 22-year-old gaining meaningful minutes against Livingston.
Realistically, Rodgers will need to rotate his strikeforce during the Bhoys’ ongoing battle for the Scottish Premiership crown, and Sunday could be the time to rest Idah alongside Hoops talisman Kyogo Furuhashi.
In 2023/24, Oh has made 26 appearances encompassing all competitions, scoring five times in the process. [Transfermarkt].
Despite this, he has been on the field for just 25 minutes since returning from AFC Asian Cup duty with South Korea.
The former Suwon Bluewings attacker has a point to prove in green and white, and hopefully, he can deliver if given the chance to remind the Celtic support of his capabilities.
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