Martin O’Neill has made two changes to the Celtic side that lost to Stuttgart but sticks with Kasper Schmeichel.
The Danish keeper was heavily criticised during and after the match but retains the confidence of his manager.
Paulo Bernardo and Daizen Maeda drop out of the Starting XI with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yang Hyun-jun taking their places in the side. Bernardo drops entirely out of the matchday squad while Maeda is listed among the substitutes.
Tony Ralston and Dane Murray also miss out on today’s squad.
After the Stuttgart defeat O’Neill was very supportive of Schmeichel who hasn’t had the same conviction that he carried for most of last season.
Celtic start the match six points behind leaders Hearts but have two games in hand over the Edinburgh side.
With the next two SPFL matches being at Ibrox and Pittodrie there isn’t much margin for error as the final pre-split fixtures get underway.
CELTIC V HIBS BACKDROP
Celtic drew 0-0 at home with Hibs in September in a match where Don Robertson awarded 17 free kicks against Celtic with just given in their favour.
At the end of November Celtic won 2-1 at Easter Road on the back of a Europa League win away to Feyenoord.
Hibs have been in patchy form recently, highlighted by a Scottish Cup exit away to Dunfermline.
Currently David Gray’s side are in fifth place but a distant eight points behind Motherwell.
Last Saturday then won 2-0 at home to St Mirren but that came on the back of a Derby defeat at Tynecastle.
Next up for Celtic is a Europa League trip to Stuttgart on Thursday which is followed three days later with a trip to Ibrox.
Matthew MacDermid will referee today’s match.
CELTIC: Schmeichel; Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Nygren, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Yang, Cvancara, Tounekti
SUBS: Sinisalo, Adamu, McCowan, Saracchi, Maeda, Hatate, Arthur, Forrest, Donovan
Don’t hold wi booing Celtic players during the game, but playing Schmeichel today is just arrogant from O’Neill. He’s out of form and has been for weeks. Sinisalo must really be crap.
We’re at the last gasp saloon.
Big 3 points would be very welcome.
What we’re getting served up in every aspect on and off the field
Is diabolical
Question: Just how the fuck can you win football matches without a defence?
And that’s before Trusty’s fucking idiocy.
Oh, and how can you win games when you’ve no scorers?
I despair and the board’s still there!
All they had to do was bring in the players we needed in January but they cheap skated us and brought in absolute sh*te and that is what has f*cked us
Unforgivable
Shameful