With things beginning to look on the up for Celtic under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou in recent weeks, as the Bhoys have picked up 12 points from 12 available over their last four fixtures in all competitions, the 56-year-old manager will undoubtedly be hoping for yet another positive result when the Hoops make the trip to Hibernian on Wednesday evening.
And, with Jack Ross’ side being in rather contrasting form to Celtic at present, with Hibs currently on a run of three straight defeats in the league, Postecoglou will be more than aware that the fixture presents his team with a fantastic opportunity to close the gap on the current Scottish Premiership leaders.
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So, will Postecoglou make any changes to the team which started the 2-0 win at St. Johnstone last Saturday? Here’s how we think Celtic could line up against Hibernian, along with the latest team and injury news…
With Postecoglou recently revealing that he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Wednesday’s fixture, as well as suggesting James McCarthy could be in line to make a return to the matchday squad, we predict that the 56-year-old will make two changes to the team that lined up against St. Johnstone last weekend.
The first of these changes comes in the heart of the Celtic defence, with the £20k-per-week Cameron Carter-Vickers making way for 21-year-old Stephen Welsh – who could very much do with a run-out having not featured in any of the Hoops last four league fixtures.
The remainder of the back five is untouched, with Joe Hart starting between the sticks, while Josip Juranovic and Anthony Ralston retain their spots at left and right-back respectively, and Carl Starfelt lines up alongside Welsh at centre-back.
In the middle of the park, Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic also retain their starting spots, with the trio having highly impressed for the Bhoys in recent weeks – while, despite his return to fitness, James McCarthy has to make do with a place on the bench.
The second change comes in Celtic’s front three, with the recently recovered Mikey Johnston replacing Jota on the left-hand side of the attack in order to afford the £900k-rated man some much-needed game time, while Georgios Giakoumakis and Kyogo Furuhashi line up alongside the 22-year-old.
In other news: Ange must unleash £2.7m-rated Celtic “phenomenon” vs Hibs, he’s a game-changer