Why Sebastian Tounekti should start for Celtic vs Kilmarnock to prevent unexpected defeat
Celtic must recall Sebastian Tounekti to the starting XI against Kilmarnock this weekend after his previous heroics at Rugby Park.
The Hoops are set to play their second game of the season on Sunday and face a difficult task against Killie.
Martin O’Neill’s side have struggled at Rugby Park numerous times in recent years, and have actually lost two of their last five visits.
Last season, they were almost defeated again, when they went 2-0 down after 28 minutes, only to produce a brilliant late 3-2 comeback victory.
Tounekti was fundamental to picking up these three points, with the winger coming off the bench at half-time to change the game, and even scored a goal.
Now, O’Neill must look to recall him to the starting XI again on Sunday to give the visitors the best chance of coming away with three points.
Sebastian Tounekti must start vs Kilmarnock
For Celtic’s opening game of the season, Tounekti was only given a late cameo off the bench in the 1-0 victory against Dundee.
This was despite the Hoops struggling up top throughout against a side that finished in the bottom half of the Scottish Premiership last season.
Therefore, recalling Tounekti makes sense, especially given his previous heroics against Kilmarnock.
In their last meeting, according to Fotmob on 7 August, the winger had 10 touches in the opposition’s box, the most in the game, had four shots, two of which were on target, completed one successful dribble out of two attempted and even made two defensive contributions in just 45 minutes.
This, combined with the fact that Celtic’s attack in the last game was poor, means that O’Neill must recall the 23-year-old for this difficult away tie or they risk a shock result being inflicted on them once again.
What is Celtic’s head-to-head record against Kilmarnock?
Celtic have dominated against Kilmarnock across their entire history.
Overall, they have beaten them 39 times, while Killie have won just six, with eight games ending in draws.
However, Killie have been competitive in many of the recent fixtures at Rugby Park, which has caused Celtic to miss out on numerous points.
O’Neill will be looking to repeat this feat on Sunday. However, it remains to be seen if he will change his starting XI in hopes of getting the best possible result.