Celtic suffered an injury blow ahead of Thursday’s game against Lazio when Neil Lennon confirmed that Boli Bolingoli didn’t travel to Italy for the game.
The player suffered a hamstring injury in the recent win over Hibs, and it has kept him out of the match against the Serie A side.
Defender’s absence is a blow
Bolingoli’s absence from the side is a blow, as he has been excellent for the Hoops in recent weeks. It also gives manager Neil Lennon a selection dilemma.
Normally, Greg Taylor or Jonny Hayes would replace the player at left-back. However, a game against Lazio may be too stern a test for either of those players at the moment. Taylor has rarely played since joining the Hoops, and Hayes is a converted attacker.
Midfielder could once more play at centre-back
Perhaps Bolingoli’s absence will force Celtic into a formation change. The Hoops could move to a 3-4-3 formation. Nir Bitton, who has played at centre-back many times for the club, could play at the back once more, alongside Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer. Hatem Abd Elhamed is also an option that can be used, should Lennon switch to a back three.
It might be a gamble to play three up-front, but the players on the wing, James Forrest and Mohamed Elyounoussi, can come back at times and support the players in the middle of the park.
As for the extra midfielder that comes in, Olivier Ntcham is more than capable of coming into the Celtic side and playing well in the middle of the park.
Neil Lennon would no doubt have wanted to play his usual formation against Lazio. However, injuries can lead to changes.
That might mean a rare formation change in a big game for the Hoops. However, if there is a Celtic team that is able to adapt to changes fairly comfortably, then it is this current Celtic side.
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