Whilst Rangers are sweating on at least three of their midfielders, Celtic have the luxury of mixing it up if they so wish.
That’s unlikely though, with Ange Postecoglou having settled on a successful formula in the engine room. Aaron Mooy’s emergence as a regular may have come as a slight surprise, but the Aussie’s rise to prominence has seen Matt O’Riley kicking his heels on the bench. It would be something of a surprise if Mooy was relegated to a sub’s role at Hampden and will almost certainly make up the midfield trio alongside captain Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate.
Further forward, Daizen Meda scored last time out against Rangers, but his energy, oppositional discipline and sheer work rate means he’ll start on the left to force James Tavernier back the way. That means the only real spot for Jota is on the other flank. Liel Abada’s record against Rangers could tempt Postecoglou into starting him, but the Portuguese will likely get the nod.
Kyogo is fit and set to lead the line. Should there be any issues though, Korean Hyeongyu Oh is in reserve to provide a different proposition for the Rangers backline.
Provisional Celtic squad
Goalkeepers
- Joe Hart
- Scott Bain
Defenders
- Yuki Kobayashi
- Cameron Carter-Vickers
- Alexandro Bernabei
- Alistair Johnston
- Greg Taylor
- Stephen Welsh
- Carl Starfelt
Midfielders
- Reo Hatate
- Aaron Mooy
- Matt O’Riley
- Callum McGregor
- David Turnbull
- Tomoki Iwata
Forwards
- Liel Abada
- James Forrest
- Kyogo Furuhashi
- Hyeongyu Oh
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