With Celtic still firmly in the title race, the Hoops will continue their chase for the top spot as they play Hibernian at Celtic Park on Sunday.
Hibs come into this one off the back of an important victory against St Mirren last weekend. The victory took them into fifth place, sitting just five points away from Motherwell in fourth.
The visitors have struggled this season but have managed to get back into the swing of things. This is a very difficult fixture for the Edinburgh side though, with them not having recorded a win at Celtic Park since 2010.
Celtic were most recently defeated 4-1 in the Europa League play-off by VfB Stuttgart. They will be disappointed at the loss and will be looking to impose themselves quickly in this one to make sure that three points don’t escape them.
If the Hoops win against Hibs, that would leave them three points away from the Jambos with a game in hand. A loss would see them all but out of this incredibly intense race for the title.
Predicted Celtic XI for Hibs at home
After a terrible performance against Stuttgart, this should be the time that Kasper Schmeichel is dropped. Yet, Martin O’Neill has been defending the Dane despite his errors that have led to many goals this season, and stated that “this is for another day” when asked in his pre-match press conference if the goalkeeper would start. So, it is safe to say he will take his place yet again, although it is wildly undeserved.
Auston Trusty and Liam Scales will be the centre-backs for this tie, despite both of them failing to impress against Stuttgart. There aren’t really any other options at the back, apart from Dane Murray and Benjamin Arthur, the latter of whom hasn’t made an appearance for the Celts yet.
In the fullback positions, we’ll likely see Julian Aurajo and Marcelo Saracchi. Aurajo was one of the few bright spots in Europe on Thursday and has been phenomenal in the hoops since joining on loan from Bournemouth. Kieran Tierney didn’t influence the game at all on Thursday, so he’ll likely be dropped for Saracchi.
Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the likely midfield three. Reo Hatate could be another option, as during his cameo in the Stuttgart tie, he was actually really impressive despite being in bad form for Celtic this season.
O’Neill suggested pre-match that the Ox “has every chance of coming into this side” for the Hibs game. He has been brilliant in his two appearances so far, even managing to bag a goal on his debut, so it would be brilliant to see him make his first start.
Up front, Daizen Maeda, Tomas Cvancara and Yang could all start. Cvancara is eager to prove himself as he looks to secure a permanent move to Celtic, and his movement could really help O’Neill’s side win the game. Maeda had moments where he looked energetic against Stuttgart, and when Yang came on, he was incredible and really trying to force a move. This would surely be an effective front three against Hibs.
Source … Thecelticbhoys