It’s the big one and Celtic’s first chance to land some silverware this season.
Celtic have been going strong this season, but now it’s time to make it all count ahead of the League Cup final against Rangers on Sunday at Hampden.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have been dominant on domestic soil, unbeaten and also proving their worth in the Champions League.
It has resulted in several big-name Celtic players sitting on the bench and Rodgers will have some big calls to make for the final itself.
Yes, Rangers played Tottenham on Thursday night in the Europa League, but the Bhoys were also in action in Europe’s elite competition on Tuesday evening in Croatia’s capital.
Ross McCormack was pretty clear in how Rodgers will and should go about things across the pitch.
Greg Taylor ‘doesn’t deserve to be dropped’ for Celtic’s League Cup final v Rangers
One of the growing battles in this Celtic XI is Greg Taylor and on-loan Barcelona star Alex Valle vying for starting minutes.
For large parts, Rodgers has preferred the experience of Taylor and McCormack made it clear that the Scotland international ‘doesn’t deserve to be dropped’ for the showpiece event, as he told the Scottish Football Podcast.
McCormack also highlighted how he thinks Rodgers will pick Paulo Bernardo instead of Arne Engels in the middle of the mark to sit alongside Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor.
“I think it will be pretty much what you have seen recently,” said McCormack. “The talking point is always the three in midfield and whether Bernardo or Engels play.
“Personally, I think he will stick with Bernardo. Then it’s always Taylor or Valle. Taylor, for me, has done nothing wrong. He doesn’t deserve to be dropped for what is now the biggest game of the season.”
Ross McCormack fearful of Celtic’s front three
From the unstoppable Nicolas Kuhn to the derby day king Kyogo Furuhashi, one of the joys of this Celtic side this season has been the forward line.
Everyone knows that if they are on it, then it’s goodbye to everyone else, even if the best version of Philippe Clement’s Rangers turns up.
McCormack touched upon that and how he has always seen Celtic’s forward line perform every time he has watched them in action.
“Then you have that front three up front, which, for me, picks itself,” added McCormack.
“Absolutely phenomenal they have been this season. Nearly every single game I have watched them play, they influence them positively and, as I was saying about Timo Werner (for Tottenham against Rangers), you just can’t give that kind of space to this kind of front three, at the minute, because they are on it in a big, big way this season.”
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