Brendan Rodgers made a handful of changes to his starting XI against Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, one of which was opting for Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty in the heart of his defence.
This decision saw Liam Scales drop to the bench, despite having been one of the manager's most consistent first-team faces since his return to the Celtic Park dugout in the summer of 2023.
Speaking to Premier Sports ahead of kick-off, Rodgers explained his decision to go with an all-American backline.
He said: "It was very tough because Liam's been absolutely brilliant for me since he came into the team.
"But we try to look at each game, and I felt that with the striker that we thought Aberdeen were going to play who likes to run in behind, so we [wanted to] add that extra bit of pace into the backline.
"Auston's physicality is very good, and that was the reason for that."
🍀 @CelticFC manager Brendan Rodgers discusses his selection decisions and what he expects today "It's going to be a great atmosphere in the game. Two top teams." 🗣️#PremierSportsCup pic.twitter.com/awbzZ8ljXM
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 2, 2024
