Celtic 4-2-3-1 to face Hamilton

From almost every part of the globe Brendan Rodgers will re-assemble his squad and try to put thoughts of Paris St Germain out of their minds- until late on Friday evening.

The Celtic boss would have struggled to put together a 5-a-side team last week but with minimal preparation he now has to get his squad into shape for one of the trickiest fixtures of the season.

Whatever they may call the new Douglas Park it’s hard to recall a decent game of football on the South Lanarkshire plastic which is a factor that Rodgers will be well aware of.

His preparations will have put an emphasis on the surface with Jozo Simunovic and Leigh Griffiths unlikely to be risked.

Simunovic’s absence is a real blow meaning that the defensive partnership to face PSG next week will have had minimal playing time together but that’s an issue for next week.

Patrick Roberts will have enjoyed more than a week of training at Lennoxtown and will be well aware of the expectations on his shoulders.

Punters would do well to steer clear of a bet on this one, like the win at Kilmarnock it’s likely to be more about graft than craft but another three points will put a little pressure on Aberdeen before they head to Murrayfield to face Hearts on Saturday.

CRAIG GORDON

Heads to Hamilton on the back of two international clean sheets to follow up his error against St Johnstone.

His Celtic career has improved out of all recognition from a year ago when he was watching Dorus de Vries from the bench.

He has adapted his game well to meet Brendan Rodgers’ demands but seems to take a few risks too many outside the box or sticking to the passing dogma.

ANTHONY RALSTON

Found the going tough against St Johnstone but will have learned plenty from that experience.

As well as making his Scotland u-21 debut the 18 year old spent some time training with Gordon Strachan’s squad.

This will be his third SPFL start running which is the sort of run that every young player is looking for.

MIKAEL LUSTIG

Can look forward to another shift in central defence where he could well be playing against PSG on Tuesday.

He also had an international double header but has had plenty of time to prepare with Sweden playing Thursday and Sunday.

With Ralston’s rapid development playing in central defence may become more frequent in the coming months.

KIERAN TIERNEY

The best left-back in the country, right-back for Scotland and stand in central defender at Celtic.

KT is more than just adaptable, the experience of playing in different positions will help develop his game, when he broke into the Celtic development side he played in left midfield.

He has the vision and touch to excel in any position but will be looking forward to getting back into position behind Scott Sinclair for the PSG match.

CALVIN MILLER

Was unlucky to drop out of the team after his man-of-the-match display at Kilmarnock but he knows he is up against exceptional opposition for the left back position.

His career is only starting out as a defender but having the trust of Brendan Rodgers must be a fantastic boost.
Like many full-backs his main strength is attacking, the tests of his defensive know how is yet to come.

SCOTT BROWN

After donning his Superman cape for international duty the midfielder will revert back to the day job of keeping Celtic on course.

He knows the drill for fixtures like this and won’t let any of his team mates drift their thoughts towards PSG.

His partnership with Olivier Ntcham is developing rapidly but needs every outing possible ahead of the ultimate test against the French side.

OLIVIER NTCHAM

Getting hooked at half time against St Johnstone probably wasn’t in his plan when he joined Celtic but it was a decision that paid off.

Getting used to the possession levels that Celtic enjoy will take a bit of getting used to with a greater onus on him to be pushing forward.

After a few days with the French u21 side playing on the plastic of Hamilton Accies will be a culture shock but that is the sort of challenge that he has to get used to.

JAMES FORREST

He probably expected to sit this one out but with Leigh Griffiths nursing a calf injury Forrest can expect to start against the Accies.

Plastic pitches don’t lend themselves to tricky wing play with the onus on Forrest to be direct and use his pace to hurt the Hamilton defence and also spend some time through the middle alternating with Patrick Roberts.

He has shown that he has the game for the big European nights but is well aware that Roberts will be spending less time on the bench this season.

CALLUM MCGREGOR

With Stuart Armstrong and Tom Rogic away on international duty McGregor is the natural choice to play behind the striker.

Against St Johnstone he again demonstrated his priceless eye for goal and was responsible for the way that the team stepped up the pace to take a point.

Rodgers has three great options for this position, McGregor may be the most appropriate player to slot in against PSG on Tuesday.

SCOTTY SINCLAIR

The benefit of international football is that our most creative player gets a regular rest.

No matter how grim England are he’s not going to get a call up but much more importantly he’ll be sharp and refreshed for the greater challenge of Champions League football.

Hamilton will be difficult to break down but some trickery and magic on the left flank can open up the home defence to cash in at a difficult venue.

PATRICK ROBERTS

Not quite the return he would have imagined but in-between a couple of supermarkets on a stretch of plastic he’ll be back in a Celtic shirt.

Much will be expected of the on loan Manchester City kid but he’ll find space limited playing through the middle against the Hamilton defence.

Roberts has the game for every occasion and will be keen to make the right impression in his first competitive game of the season.