The possible line up that Brendan Rodgers could pick to start for the Hoops on Sunday.
Celtic will be hoping to return to winning ways as they are in action in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday as they travel away from Parkhead to take on St. Johnstone.
The Hoops have failed to win any of their last two matches in all competitions and have won once in their last four outings – the latest of which came against Lazio in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Brendan Rodgers watched on as his side lost 2-0 to the Italian side thanks to two strikes from substitute Ciro Immobile, which ended the club’s participation in European football this season beyond their last group stage game against Feyenoord.
Celtic star who lost 100% duels was Rodgers’ villain over Carter-Vickers
They only have domestic action to worry about for the remainder of the campaign and a win against St. Johnstone would be another step on the road to another league title.
Rodgers could look to make some changes to the starting XI that lined up against Lazio on Tuesday. With this in mind, here is our predicted Hoops team – with four potential changes – to start on Sunday…
1
Joe Hart
Starting off between the sticks, former England international Joe Hart could keep his place as he has been the manager’s number one option this season. He has started 13 of the club’s 14 league matches and saved 72% of the shots on his goal to date.
2
Anthony Ralston
The first change that could be made to the starting XI is at right-back as academy graduate Anthony Ralston could return to the team in place of Alistair Johnston.
Celtic’s Canadian battler came into the side against Lazio and struggled at right-back with a Sofascore rating of 6.5 as he failed to create any chances or complete any dribbles in the 90 minutes.
Whereas, Ralston recorded a Sofascore rating of 8.2 and created three chances for his teammates during the 1-1 draw against Motherwell last time out in the Premiership.
The Scottish full-back put an impressive display at the back, with a pass success rate of 94%, and Johnston did not do enough in midweek to suggest that he deserves to come straight back into the league XI, which is why the Glasgow native should start on the right of the defence.
3
Cameron Carter-Vickers
In the middle of the backline, USA international Cameron Carter-Vickers could start in spite of his difficulties against Ciro Immobile on Tuesday.
He won five of his seven duels and completed 93% of his 108 attempted passes against Lazio, which shows that there were positive aspects within his performance before the Italy international beat him for two goals.
4
Liam Scales
Alongside the former Tottenham Hotspur enforcer, Rodgers could stick with Liam Scales, who has started 12 of the club’s 14 league matches this term.
5
Greg Taylor
Finally, the defence could be complete with Scotland international Greg Taylor. The 26-year-old left-back has created four ‘big chances’ and provided 1.9 key passes per game across 14 Premiership starts so far this season.
6
Callum McGregor
In midfield, club captain Callum McGregor could line up once again. The Scotland international has started all 14 of the team’s league matches so far and has showcased his creativity with four assists, along with a pass success rate of 92%.
7
David Turnbull
The second change that could be made to the starting XI is central midfielder David Turnbull being unleashed ahead of Paulo Bernardo.
Celtic’s on loan midfield whiz started against Lazio and is yet to contribute with a single goal or assist across nine appearances in the Premiership and Champions League combined.
Turnbull, on the other hand, has produced seven goals and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 13 outings across those two competitions, despite only starting seven matches.
The Scottish magician, who was hailed as “excellent” by Rodgers earlier this term, has proven himself to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch and should, therefore, be unleashed to provide a big attacking threat from midfield.
8
Matt O’Riley
Speaking of carrying an attacking threat, Matt O’Riley should be selected as the third and final central midfielder in the head coach’s 4-3-3 set-up.
The Denmark U21 international has been in fantastic form in the Premiership this season with a superb return of six goals and five assists in 13 appearances.
9
Hyun-jun Yang
On the right of the attack, summer signing Hyun-jun Yang could extend his run of starts to four in the Scottish top-flight. The 21-year-old wizard scored one goal, completed nine dribbles, and created four chances for his teammates in the previous three starts.
10
Hyeon-gyu Oh
Through the middle of the pitch, South Korea international Hyeon-gyu Oh could lead the line for the Scottish giants after Kyogo Furuhashi struggled against Lazio in midweek.
The Japanese marksman has only scored one goal in his last seven games in all competitions for the Hoops, which shows that the forward is out of form in front of goal.
He completed four passes and won zero duels in 90 minutes of action against Lazio, whilst Oh came off the bench and made four passes and won 100% (1/1) of his duels in just 21 minutes.
The South Korean ace has also scored two goals in his last three matches for Celtic and could provide a greater threat than Kyogo on current form.
11
Luis Palma
Finally, Luis Palma could return to the starting XI on the left flank after he was suspended for the loss to Lazio and James Forrest started in his place.
The Honduras international has been a sensational addition to the squad since his summer move from Aris and has produced four goals and five assists in six Premiership starts for the club so far.
He has made a huge impact at the top end of the pitch with his ability to provide quality as a scorer and a creator of goals, which is why he should return to the line-up immediately.
Forrest, on the other hand, has one goal and zero assists in 13 appearances across the Premiership and Champions League this season. Although, it must be said that the Scotsman has only started three times.
