Celtic’s game against Aberdeen on Sunday is a big match for a number of reasons. The Hoops need to win to get the Premiership season back on track after the loss to Rangers. Neil Lennon needs a win to relieve some of the pressure after back to back defeats. The Celtic squad needs to show that they are still capable of winning the big games.
Really though, the man under most pressure is manager Neil Lennon. Another defeat – or even a draw – would not be acceptable in the eyes of some of the Celtic support, you would imagine.
Team selected must give Hoops best chance of victory
That is why the team the manager selects for Pittodrie will be so important. It has to be a team that will give Celtic the best chance of winning the game. That means Tom Rogic making a first Celtic start since the 5-0 win over St Mirren in March.
Rogic showed what he was all about in his second-half appearance for the Hoops against Milan in the Europa League. He only came on in the 64th minute, but in the time he added a creativity that Celtic had sorely lacking.
Team were transformed by attacker
The Hoops were like a team transformed with Rogic pulling the strings from the middle of the park. It was no surprise that Celtic’s goal came 12 minutes after Rogic’s emergence, and the Hoops were only undone by a late breakaway goal in the 3-1 defeat.
However, Lennon can’t have failed to be impressed by what Rogic added to the Celtic side in his time on the pitch. Therefore, he has to be in the starting line-up for the trip to Pittodrie. Rogic has been influential against Aberdeen in the past – he has scored five goal against them.
For him to have that influence again, he has to be handed a start by manager Neil Lennon. If Rogic can repeat the form he showed against Milan, then he is more than capable of driving Celtic on to what would be a priceless three points.
In other news, Neil Lennon has provided an update on Hatem Elhamed’s return to Celtic.
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