The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[illdecide]

6 in (three signed and three on loan)
23 out (10 out on loan)

[MoChara]

possibly only 5 first team squad out though

Loan ended: Fraser Forster, goalkeeper (Southampton); Moritz Bauer, defender (Stoke City).
Loan out: Boli Bolingoli, defender (Istanbul Basaksehir); Marian Shved, midfielder (Mechelen); Vakoun Issouf Bayo, forward (Toulouse)

Maybe Arzani too but he was injured that long I don't think he can be counted

[Angelo]

possibly only 5 first team squad out though

Loan ended: Fraser Forster, goalkeeper (Southampton); Moritz Bauer, defender (Stoke City).
Loan out: Boli Bolingoli, defender (Istanbul Basaksehir); Marian Shved, midfielder (Mechelen); Vakoun Issouf Bayo, forward (Toulouse)

Maybe Arzani too but he was injured that long I don't think he can be counted

Simunovic, Hayes, Gordon too.

[illdecide]

With 6 days to go the big game how will it unfold? Are Edouard and Chrisite def out? if not they prob wouldn't be sharp from isolating for the last 2 weeks. Will NL start the new bhoy Laxalt? If Chrisite is out will he play Rogic or Turnbull? Even though Edouard had not been playing well recently Sevco would still be scared marking him. Bitton would have been an unlikely starter anyway but Jullien is back fit anyway...Team i think he'll start on Sat will be...

Barkas
Frimpong
Jullien
Duffy
Ajer
Laxalt
Brown
McGregor
Turnbull
ELYOUNOUSSI
KLIMALA

Possible changes...H. ABD ELHAMED instead of Jullien
Rogic instead of Turnbull
Ajeti (if back fit) instead of Klimala
Taylor instead of Laxalt
Ntcham instead of Elyounoussi

So many options...Griffiths, Eddie could still be sub, maybe last 15 mins. Will be interesting come the end of the week to see who's fit and who's available.

[Angelo]

I like Bitton in the back 3 and I think he'd have started if available.

Would imagine Taylor will get the nod at wing back.

It's not ideal, is Edouard still a possibility to play?

[illdecide]

Apparently Eddie's isolation ends the day before the game but his fitness from having the virus as well as isolated for almost 2 weeks could not be ideal. I think Bitton makes the odd clanger and can get caught flat footed a few times but is decent and wouldn't get bullied like Jullien would. I've a feeling NL will start Laxalt and Frimpong as the two wing backs and one up front 3-5-1-1 with either Turnbull or Rogic as the link man to the centre forward

[illdecide]

Looks like H. ABD ELHAMED could be out now too...FFS.

[themac_23]

I'd be going

Barkas

Frimpong

Ajer
Duffy
Julien

Laxalt

Brown
McGregor

Ntcham/ moi

Eddy
Ajeti/ klimala

Get Griffiths on with 20 to go if we need a goal, though I think their play will suit us, we struggle against teams that sit deep, their ego and the fact they are buying the MSM hype about how good they are won't allow them to do that, they'll come at us and we'll rip them apart with 2 up top. Klimalas pace will kill them if they push up which I tho m they will

[illdecide]

It's been quite the international break.

After coming through the September break unscathed, Neil Lennon has helplessly watched on as a number of his Celtic stars have been ruled out of the upcoming fixture against Rangers. Ryan Christie, Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed are all confirmed absentees. Mystery also surrounds Odsonne Edouard's availability, though optimistic fans will hope his return on Friday will give him enough time to feature in the derby.

When you consider that other players such as James Forrest are injured, it doesn't paint a pretty picture. Even Albian Ajeti is still coming back from a hamstring problem. However, I don't care who is playing for Celtic; I will always fancy our chances against that lot across the city. That's the nature of the rivalry. You also can't argue that Lennon doesn't have a multitude of quality options still at his disposal. So, as it stands a few days out, what's the most exciting eleven he can field?

In goal, Vasilis Barkas is the obvious and only choice. He's featured heavily since arriving and has been praised by the manager too. The former AEK man has been on international duty with Greece over the last week but has remained on the bench, so he'll be fresh and ready. There is uncertainty about the defence and whether or not Lennon will revert to a back-four. However, I reckon deploying the trio of Shane Duffy, Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer is the way to go.

Jullien has hopefully recovered from an injury while Ajer and Duffy have both been in good form for their countries. It's a three that should be able to cope with Rangers' attacking threats. Some may question my choice at left wing-back, but I think Diego Laxalt has to play. Yes, a derby debut is a big ask, but he's a player who has been playing and training at the elite level for years. The hope will be he offers more than Greg Taylor and can nullify the threat on Rangers' right-wing. The best way to keep James Tavernier quiet in our half is to keep him busy in his own.

On the right flank, it's an obvious choice that needs little explanation – Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutch U20 international has been one of our best players over the last month and deserves to be one of the first-named on the team sheet. There has been massive debate about the role of Scott Brown in the early stages of the season but put simply, we can't go into this fixture under pressure without our leader and captain. We'll learn a lot about his current ability at 35 years of age on Saturday, but I'm backing the warrior midfielder to give us a good performance. Rounding off my midfield three would be Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham. Rangers' route to victory at Celtic Park last December was through the central midfield areas. They out muscled us and, frankly, outgunned us. This weekend's match will likely be won and lost in the same area. We need this trio to be at the peak of their powers, defending our back line and supporting our attack in equal measure.

And what about our attack? This is where I think Lennon may throw a curve ball. In recent matches, he's preferred an attacking midfielder and striker combination. The smart money would be on Mohamed Elyounoussi getting a game. However, my gut feeling is that the manager will surprise everyone and go for Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths. If the Frenchman was symptom-less and keeping himself fit in self-isolation, then there's no reason why he can't feature at Celtic Park. It'd be a bold call, but he has a fantastic record against the Ibrox team, and it can't be forgotten he is our best player. It'd also be a shock to see Griffiths start his first professional match since March but, again, he's had ample time to work on his fitness further since scoring against St Johnstone. What a sight it would be to see the pairing line up, ready to rekindle a partnership that was on fire in early 2020.

That's the frontline that I think can punish Rangers and put them on the back foot from kick-off. All eyes will be on Lennon's team announcement. Will he play it safe or go for the jugular?

[Angelo]

We do have a big squad, not ideal certainly but we should be good to go.

I hope Rogic starts, Christie is out and for me Rogic offers a lot more than Ntcham.

Up front is the big dilemma, I have a feeling it will be Elyonoussi off Edouard if Edouard makes it. I think Kilmala should start though, he's our only fully fit striker right now and he brings an energy and work rate the others won't for this type of fixture. I am a bit unsure of him overall but I think he deserves to be trusted here.

[illdecide]

Celtic have taken a hit in the betting for Sat game. Last week Celtic were 8/13 and today Patsy Power has them at 6/4 due to the bets for Sevco

[themac_23]

Celtic have taken a hit in the betting for Sat game. Last week Celtic were 8/13 and today Patsy Power has them at 6/4 due to the bets for Sevco

Hold on... we are 6/4... at home? that's mental, I never back Celtic I think its bad luck but at 6/4 nearly too good to resist

[illdecide]

Celtic have taken a hit in the betting for Sat game. Last week Celtic were 8/13 and today Patsy Power has them at 6/4 due to the bets for Sevco

Hold on... we are 6/4... at home? that's mental, I never back Celtic I think its bad luck but at 6/4 nearly too good to resist

I'm the same...never liked betting on them but if u fancy Celtic that's def some odds. The bookies must know something we don't

[Angelo]

Celtic have taken a hit in the betting for Sat game. Last week Celtic were 8/13 and today Patsy Power has them at 6/4 due to the bets for Sevco

Hold on... we are 6/4... at home? that's mental, I never back Celtic I think its bad luck but at 6/4 nearly too good to resist

I'm the same...never liked betting on them but if u fancy Celtic that's def some odds. The bookies must know something we don't

I can see why

Under Lennon we have played terrible against them:

We've had one good performance at Ibrox last season, and two terrible ones. We somehow managed to beat them in the League Cup final comprehensively and lost the other league fixture at home.

The season before that we bear them at home 2-1. They were down 10 men in the first half after Morelos was sent off and we needed a late winner from Forrest and they had a few glorious chances to equalise in injury time. The other hand was a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.

So we've managed to put in one decent performance in the derby games with Lennon.

We might be at home but there's no fans.

Celtic are not playing well at all.

Add in a few injury concerns and the Covid losses and that is why.

Of the two teams, Rangers are the form team coming into this.

They have bossed our midfield in the last few encounters.

[themac_23]

Celtic have taken a hit in the betting for Sat game. Last week Celtic were 8/13 and today Patsy Power has them at 6/4 due to the bets for Sevco

Hold on... we are 6/4... at home? that's mental, I never back Celtic I think its bad luck but at 6/4 nearly too good to resist

I'm the same...never liked betting on them but if u fancy Celtic that's def some odds. The bookies must know something we don't

I can see why

Under Lennon we have played terrible against them:

We've had one good performance at Ibrox last season, and two terrible ones. We somehow managed to beat them in the League Cup final comprehensively and lost the other league fixture at home.

The season before that we bear them at home 2-1. They were down 10 men in the first half after Morelos was sent off and we needed a late winner from Forrest and they had a few glorious chances to equalise in injury time. The other hand was a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.

So we've managed to put in one decent performance in the derby games with Lennon.

We might be at home but there's no fans.

Celtic are not playing well at all.

Add in a few injury concerns and the Covid losses and that is why.

Of the two teams, Rangers are the form team coming into this.

They have bossed our midfield in the last few encounters.

Rangers have done ok against us the last few seasons simply because they've tried to make the games a battle and crowded the midfield making actual football very difficult. but we still come out on top since Gerrard has been here we've won 4 games and they won 3, given one of their wins was when wed already won the league. I actually think tomorrow will be different, they are believing their own hype, they will come at us and leave space, we will pick them off. their main tactic is get the ball wide and get the ball in the box for Morellos and work from there, with Duffy, Ajer and Jullien, there is no excuse for that tactic not playing into our hands. id play Klimalla and use his pace for long balls, hell pull their slow backline all over the place. they need to win tomorrow, we win, they fold a draw also leaves us in a good position, they need to win, lets see how they deal with the pressure.