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 changes to the Celtic side taking on St Mirren in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.
Ben Arthur replaces the suspended Liam Scales. In midfield Arne Engels takes over from Alex Oxlade Chamberlain with Sebastian Tounekti replacing Tomas Cvanara in the forward line. That would suggest Daizen Maeda will play as the lone striker.
Cvancara hasn’t made it onto the bench which results in a rare sighting of Junior Adamu.
The on loan Freiburg striker saved the day with a stoppage time equaliser in the Fifth Round against Dundee but has rarely featured since. That goal is his only one as a Celtic player.
Arthur stepped in for the suspended Auston Trusty at Ibrox in the SPFL, his inclusion today allows Trusty to return to his preferred place of left of the central defensive pairing.
Much of the build up to today’s match has reflected on Celtic losing the League Cup Final earlier in the season.
With two different managers involved today the 40,000 plus Celtic fans will be hoping for a different outcome.
BACKGROUND TO CELTIC V ST MIRREN
Other than the December League Cup Final Celtic have had three 1-0 victories over St Mirren.
Twice the winning goal came after the 85th minute with Luke McCowan delivering in the opening SPFL match of the season. In November McGregor scored in stoppage time in Paisley.
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored fairly early last Saturday but Celtic were unable to build on that breakthrough.
O’Neill expressed his concern about the drop in standards during the second half. Substituting all three midfieders failed to change the flow of the match.
Like yesterday’s semi-final today’s match will be played to a finish.
Today’s winners will have their season extended to May 23 with Dunfermline waiting in the final.
Matthew MacDermid will referee the game with Kevin Clancy looking on from the VAR room
CELTIC: Sinisalo; Ralston, Arthur, Trusty, Tierney; McGregor, Engels, Nygren; Yang, Maeda, Tounekti
SUBS: Doohan, Adamu, McCowan, Iheanacho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Saracchi, Hatate, Murray, Forrest
Green Brigade just welcomed back and they take that bloody flares to Hampden, will they ever learn