The 4-2-3-1 needed to see off Astana
Brendan Rodgers won’t be feeling sorry for himself as he prepares his team for Wednesday’s Champions League Play Off against Astana.
When the Scottish Cup was won in May the Irishman would have expected to have Moussa Dembele, Patrick Roberts, Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko available. For various reasons none of that quartet will play with the manager admitting that Stuart Armstrong is below par due to his contract stand off.
Rodgers will put all of those issues to one side and concentrate on finding the best defensive combination knowing that a clean sheet at home takes Celtic halfway to the promised land.
Getting the defence right and answering the Nir Bitton question will go a long way to deciding whether or not Celtic will be in the Champions League or drop into the Europa League, with the Champions League qualification odds saying it’s likely to be the former.
Rodgers will have a gut feeling about what is best at the back and go for it, if the evidence of the match suggests otherwise he’ll make changes rather than try to prove a point.
With the return of Patrick Roberts unlikely- for now anyway- the attacking positions are easier to predict with the scene set for the second most nervous night of the season- next Tuesday being the real big one…
CRAIG GORDON
Apart from a soft goal against Hearts he has been in top form and has the experience of three Champions League campaigns to call upon.
Changes in central defence won’t have helped him but whoever is selected Gordon needs to be a strong commanding presence.
ANTHONY RALSTON
At the end of last season a decision was taken to put Ralston ahead of Cristian Gamboa with that move justified so far.
Ralston looks close to the Kieran Tierney stage of two years ago, once he is given a couple of matches he will take a bit of shifting.
MIKAEL LUSTIG
Knows his way across these type of matches as well as anyone and could step into the centre of defence with the minimum of fuss.
His defending is resolute and will be able to keep an eye out on Ralston, mentoring him through the match.
His height can be useful at both ends of the park with his experience invaluable in guiding a young back four through a demanding night.
JOZO SIMUNOVIC
He is now the first pick central defender and getting very comfortable in that role with his injury problems resolved.
He’ll keep it simple at the back- win the ball and pass it to a team-mate. He missed Astana last season- they won’t miss Jozo this time.
KIERAN TIERNEY
His form hasn’t suffered from the injury he picked up in the Scottish Cup Final, nothing at all seems to phase or impact on him.
He’ll know the balance between attacking and defensive responsibilities, his link up play with Scott Sinclair will be crucial.
SCOTT BROWN
It looks like he’ll be mentoring Olivier Ntcham with the young Frenchman providing the link play and attacking push from the centre of the park.
Brown will control and dictate the play- and add a personal touch if any opponents are looking to noise anyone up on the pitch.
OLIVIER NTCHAM
There has been a lot of promising signs so far from the former Manchester City midfielder who opted to join Celtic early to help the club reach the group phase.
After two seasons in Serie A he knows what to expect on the park, hopefully the demands and expectations of the occasion can allow him to dig out something special.
JAMES FORREST
The match-winner in Rosenborg would love to add in another European strike whether it’s spectacular or not.
He has vast European experience to call upon and will welcome a return to the right flank thanks to the return of Leigh Griffiths.
With Ralston behind him he’ll have some extra defensive responsibility but his main thrust will be pushing forward and causing panic in the Astana defence.
CALLUM MCGREGOR
Over the last six months he has been one of the best players at the club and has recently shown his flexibility by stepping in to the attacking midfield role.
His good control and quick passing can link the whole team together from pockets that the Astana defence will struggle to close down.
SCOTT SINCLAIR
He seems to be at his most effective with Moussa Dembele but is flexible enough to adapt and is well capable of turning any match.
He came very close to getting on the score-sheet in last season’s Champions League group phase, getting back to the stage will be a driving ambition.
LEIGH GRIFFITHS
Against Astana and Hapoel Griffiths was the driving force and will be looking for a similar impact this time around.
Even though he has still to complete 90 minutes this season four goals suggest that he is on form- his introduction in Rosenborg turned the game Celtic’s way.