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
Martin O’Neill has made three chances to the Celtic side that lost to Dundee United for today’s clash with Dundee.
Auston Trusty, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tomas Cvancara come into the side. Ben Arthur, Reo Hatate and Kelechi Iheanacho drop onto the bench. There is no place for Arne Engels among the substitutes.
With changes in all three areas of the team O’Neill will be looking for an instant improvement on the defeat at Tannadice.
Most of the squad have had two full weeks to prepare for today’s match.
So far this season trips to Dundee have been something of a graveyard for Celtic sides with three defeats.
Two weeks after losing 2-0 at Tannadice Celtic cross the road to Dens Park with their title hopes on a thread.
Three of their eight SPFL defeats have been in Dundee, bizarrely under three different managers.
CELTIC BALANCING THEIR TITLE HOPES
O’Neill has the opportunity to turn things round but has very little, if any margin for error.
A win would put Celtic in a strong position to win the title. Four of their last six matches are at home including visits from their two biggest title rivals. Those teams also will play each other at Tynecastle.
Anything less than full points today and it becomes almost impossible to state a case for a title defence.
Despite fairly decent form overall Dundee aren’t out of the battle to avoid the relegation play-off.
Defeat away to Hearts in their last outings took a shine away from their dramatic stoppage time comeback in the Tayside Derby.
Steven Pressley’s side are two points above Aberdeen and St Mirren, and five ahead of second bottom Kilmarnock.
Steven McLean will referee today’s match with Matthew MacDermid on VAR.
CELTIC: Sinisalo; Donovan, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nygren; Yang, Cvancara, Maeda
SUBS: Doohan, McCowan, Iheanacho, Tounekti, Saracchi, Hatate, Arthur, Forrest, Ralston
