Celtic expected 4-2-3-1 v Hibernian: Midfield trio omitted
By James Black
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is expected to make two changes to his starting XI to face Hibernian on Saturday.
Callum McGregor and Nir Bitton should come into the side to replace Tom Rogic and the injured Scott Brown after the midweek 3-0 win over Anderlecht in the Champions League.
The Scottish champions will be looking to extend their domestic unbeaten streak to a phenomenal 58 games when Neil Lennon brings his Hibs side to Celtic Park.
Craig Gordon will almost certainly retain his place in goals after his clean sheet against Anderlecht.
The Scotland and Celtic number one should most likely have an unchanged defence ahead of him after Anthony Ralston suffered a torn meniscus, meaning he’s unlikely to feature ahead of Mikael Lustig.
Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic will continue at centre-back with Kieran Tierney filling his usual berth at left-back in Celtic’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
With Scott Brown out injured for a few weeks, Israeli midfielder Nir Bitton is the obvious choice to replace the club captain to anchor the Bhoy’s midfield beside Olivier Ntcham.
A third midfielder is set to be omitted in Stuart Armstrong, who will join Brown and Rogic on the sidelines.
Wingers Scott Sinclair and Patrick Roberts are expected to continue in the starting XI with Callum McGregor taking Tom Rogic’s place after the Australian’s poor showing against Anderlecht.
With Moussa Demebele edging closer to full fitness, Rodgers may have a decision on his hands soon over whether to restore the Frenchman at Leigh Griffith’s expense or adjust his side tactocally to accomodate both.
As it is, Griffiths should get the nod ahead of the prolific 21-year-old for the clash with Hibs before stepping up his return following next month’s international break.
A win for the Hoops tomorrow could see them increase their lead over second place St. Johnstone to six points after only eight games.
In other Celtic news, fans have slammed this 24-year-old for his display against Anderlecht.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Celtic breaking news