Sebastian Tounekti should start for Celtic as 92% and 0.12 stats emerge
Celtic and Martin O’Neill must give Sebastian Tounekti a run in the starting XI after yet another impressive cameo against Aberdeen.
The winger came on in the 3-0 victory on Wednesday and created all sorts of problems for the Dons backline.
This has been a common theme for the 24-year-old this season, with his appearances off the bench impressing more often than not.
Yet, despite this, O’Neill has only given Tounekti one competitive start, with this coming in the 5-1 victory against Dundee United in the Premier Sports Cup, where the winger scored and picked up an assist.
Now, after impressing once again on Wednesday, O’Neill simply has to give him a run in the starting XI.
Saturday’s game against St Mirren is the perfect moment to give him this opportunity, which would surely increase Celtic’s chance of winning the match.
How good was Sebastian Tounekti vs Aberdeen?
Despite coming onto the field when the match was essentially over, Tounekti still proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
According to Fotmob on 4 September, he completed 92 per cent of his passes, created two chances, had a 0.12 xA, completed two out of three attempted dribbles, as well as two out of three attempted crosses in just 14 minutes.
When you are able to produce such an output in such a short period, O’Neill has to give him more minutes.
Therefore, bringing him into the starting XI for the St Mirren tie would be the perfect opportunity to reward Tounekti for his recent cameos.
While it would no doubt be a bold move given the form of the team in domestic football at the moment, it is a risk worth taking.
What is Celtic’s recent record against Aberdeen?
In all competitions, Celtic have a solid record against St Mirren, having won four of their last five meetings.
However, the one defeat was by far the biggest game, as they overcame the Hoops 3-1 in the Premier Sports Cup final back in December.
Nevertheless, Celtic also have a great record at The SMISA Stadium and have not lost a game at that ground since 2022, having won their last six visits, and have only conceded three goals in that time.
However, it remains to be seen if this good run can continue on Saturday as Celtic look to maintain their good start to the Scottish Premiership season.