Tomas Cvancara went under the radar in Celtic’s win against Kilmarnock at the weekend.
Martin O’Neill decided to drop the 25-year-old and hand a first start to Junior Adamu, but he soon called on the Czech international in the second half.
Cvancara was one of three half-time substitutes and he had a hand in two of the three goals at Rugby Park.
While he won’t grab the headlines himself, he has done more than enough to deserve a start against Stuttgart.
We’ve had over a month of Tomas Cvancara at Celtic. How do you rate his performances?
Tomas Cvancara steps up when Celtic needed him
After starting every league game since signing on loan, O’Neill decided to shuffle the pack and start Adamu.
However, the Austrian international was non-existent and was promptly withdrawn at half time.
Once Cvancara was introduced, Celtic had a focal point up top to hold up the ball and bring midfielders into the equation.
He proved to be a nuisance in the box for Benjamin Nygren’s equaliser before providing the cross that led to Julian Araujo’s stoppage time winner.
He may have not flipped the game on its head completely, but without him in two crucial moments, Celtic may have not got the three points.
Celtic’s strikers could be a secret weapon against Stuttgart
Next up for the Hoops is a two-legged Europa League clash against Stuttgart.
As part of their January transfer window, Celtic signed two strikers who have played in the Bundesliga.
Stuttgart were a team that Cvancara and Adamu both played against regularly and know how they operate.
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They will know the strengths and weaknesses of those defences and having played in German atmospheres plenty of times, should be up to the task.
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