Celtic will face Hamilton Academical on Saturday afternoon at the Hope CBD Stadium as the Scottish Premiership returns to action after the international break.
The Hoops are back at the perch of the Scottish top-flight and are unbeaten in their previous six games in the Premiership. Brendan Rodgers’ men missed out on the opportunity to extend their lead at the top over second-placed Hearts as they were held to a goalless draw by Livingston FC before the international window.
And they must look to get all three points against the Accies this weekend to strengthen their hold at the top of the standings. The two teams have already met once this term back in August, with the reigning champions emerging victorious 1-0 courtesy a Dedryck Boyata goal.
Ahead of the game, let’s take a look as to how Celtic should line up to get the better of Martin Canning’s side on Saturday;
Midfielder Eboue Kouassi and on-loan starlet Daniel Arzani have been ruled out for the rest of the season for the Scottish champions after picking up ACL injuries. Striker Leigh Griffiths is close to a return to action, but Saturday’s game might come too soon, as is the case with Nir Bitton and club captain Scott Brown.
Defensive mainstay Kieran Tierney missed Scotland’s assignment against Albania and Israel with a hamstring problem and may not be involved on Saturday. Tom Rogic suffered a minor knee injury while on international duty with Australia and is a doubt for the weekend encounter as well.
Kristoffer Ajer remains sidelined with an eye injury, while veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon is a doubt as well, having missed the draw against Livingston and the subsequent international games for Scotland. Olivier Ntcham could be back into contention for the Hoops though.
Here’s how the Scottish champions might take the field;
The 27-year-old put on a solid showing against Livingston prior to the international break and is likely to be retained between the sticks as Gordon recovers from his injury.
The Swedish full-back’s future at the club is surrounded by uncertainty as he has a little over six months left on his contract. But there are no doubts over his starting berth on the right side of the defence on Saturday.
The former Manchester City defender is a guaranteed starter week in week out for the Hoops and that is unlikely to change for the visit to the New Douglas Park.
With Ajer sidelined and Jozo Simunovic battling to be fit, on-loan defender Filip Benkovic should get the nod alongside Boyata at the heart of the defence.
The Honduras international has hardly played since returning to the club in the summer. But with Tierney’s injury problem, he is in line for a rare start this weekend.
The 25-year-old has bossed the defensive midfield role in the absence of club captain Scott Brown. A definite starter in the middle of the park for the Hoops.
Having missed the last four games in all competitions for Celtic due to injury, the 22-year-old midfield sensation should be back into the team for the away game against the Accies.
Celtic’s in-form man with 9 goals and 12 assists from 24 appearances across all competitions, James Forrest is a shoo-in for the starting spot on the right flank.
The 23-year-old has been in brilliant form of late for the champions and having recently signed a new contract extension, he should aim to put in a match-winning performance from the No.10 role against Hamilton.
The 22-year-old hasn’t been able to hit the ground running in his debut campaign for the Hoops with early season injuries holding him back. Should be given the nod over Scott Sinclair, however, as he has the capability to be a serious threat in the final third.
The leading goalscorer for Celtic this season, with 12 strikes against his name, star striker Odsonne Edouard is the obvious choice to lead the line on Saturday.
