Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Aberdeen - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - July 31, 2022 Celtic players in a huddle before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Viljami Sinisalo comes into the Celtic side for today’s match at Livingston.
The Finnish internationalist played in two League Cup ties earlier in the season but hasn’t been involved in the SPFL Premiership since May.
Kasper Schmeichel has dropped completely out of the squad with Ross Doohan promoted to a place on the bench.
Wilfried Nancy sticks with the 10 outfield players that started in last week’s3-1 win over Aberdeen.
With SPFL leaders Hearts trailing 3-1 away to Hibs after 79 minutes there is the chance to make up some ground with a win over Livingston.
Nancy has had a full week, minus Christmas Day with his players on the training ground, the first time he has had that luxury as Celtic manager.
After missing the Aberdeen match through illness Reo Hatate returns to take up a place on the Celtic bench.
BACKGROUND
Livingston haven’t won a match since August 9 when they beat Falkirk 3-1 at home, a clash of the two promoted clubs.
Two weeks later they lost 3-0 to Celtic with all of the goals coming after the break.
There has only been two defeats by more than a goal but week by week they are drifting back towards the SPFL Championship.
Currently they are three points adrift of Kilmarnock in bottom place with 2026 looking like a grim battle for survival.
David Martindale is the longest surviving manager in the top flight but that status could be under threat if results don’t start to improve.
Matthew McDermid will referee today’s match with Nick Walsh overseeing the key decisions in the VAR studio.
Celtic are back on the road on Tuesday away to Motherwell before starting 2026 by hosting the Glasgow Derby.
CELTIC: Sinisalo; Ralston, Trusty, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor, Engels, McCowan; Yang, Kenny, Maeda
SUBS: Doohan, Simpson-Pusey, Scales, Shin, Bernardo. Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Donovan
At last we have 2 proper goalkeepers in the squad. How it has taken so long to recognise Schmeichel’s defects is a mystery. C’mon the Celts!
Sinisalo unconvincing today…but 3 point and 4 goals.
Ralston and Kenny can’t keep getting starting places after that showing today… Ralston has totally lost it and Kenny was a ghost, AGAIN.
I was thinking along similar lines, Bigmick. We’re still a bad joke defensively and Sinisalo’s distribution and decision making, my two main faults with Schmeichel, was shocking all afternoon. Add in the stray passes, many of them from just a few yards away, and it’s just thank fukk we weren’t against better opposition. Kenny is a “ghost” of a very poor player with just about zero input today. Again. Donovan is very young and WILL make mistakes. Tony Ralston is g’teed to make mistakes and he should be in his prime. But it’s not just down to these guys. KT turning backwards and misplacing numerous passes and one awful attempt at goal. One of his errors resulted in one of their goals. CalMac, a terrific player on his day was far from his best. McCowan didn’t inspire confidence. Yang works hard but he’s just not got what we need. Ad Infinitum.
Trusty is proving to be a saviour at the back and TR made a terrific diving header to deny Livi and he’d run through brick walls for us but too many errors generally. And I wouldn’t have given us that pen but given the ones wrongly given against us I’ll take it.
BUT, we got 3 pts and scored 4 goals so we’ve, currently, got to be happy with the result.
The title is, and will likely remain wide open between us, the new huns and the diet huns. If we don’t bring in some quality and/or lose what little quality we have, the title will go down to the wire. The pressure must be cranked up to clear the boardroom and at least one shareholder and ultimately aim for majority supporter-owned Celtic FC.
Strange game but we got the result…
Anyone expecting three players delivered by 9am on 1st January…
Nah – Me neither !