Brendan Rodgers has named his Celtic starting XI to face Rangers in the Ibrox Glasgow Derby this afternoon.
Rodgers has decided to go with the strongest squad available as he makes his intentions clear that he plans to attack Rangers and leave Ibrox with all three Scottish Premiership points.
The lineup is as follows:
Starting XI: Schmeichel, Taylor, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Johnston, Hatate, McGregor, Bernardo, Maeda, Kuhn, Kyogo
Substitutes: Sinisalo, Ralston, Valle, Engels, Idah, Trusty, Palma, McCowan, Yang
Celtic starting XI vs Rangers shows Brendan Rodgers’ Ibrox intent
The Celtic boss has given the nod to Scales after the Irishman put in some impressive performances over the Christmas period as the Bhoys beat Motherwell and St Johnstone.
The midfield trio of Hatate, McGregor and Bernardo has been preferred with Arne Engels and Luke McCowan waiting in reserve if Rodgers sees fit to call upon them.
Celtic’s pace and power up front will be crucial to secure a win at Ibrox to kick off the New Year as Rodgers goes with a front three of Maeda, Kyogo and Kuhn.
Between the three of the attacking players, they have netted 19 goals and created 12 assists in the league and, apart from Nicolas Kuhn, have all scored against Rangers in meaningful games.
Celtic fans are delighted with starting XI vs Rangers
The Celtic fans know that if Rodgers can come away from Ibrox with all three points, Rangers’ title challenge to the Bhoys is all but over.
So when they saw the starting lineup to face Rangers at Ibrox, Celtic fans sent a message that was loud and clear to Rodgers.
Another Celtic fan posted, “Strong lineup! Get the job done lads.” another put, “Right from the start today Celtic! No, let up keep it going and finish them today.”
One Celtic fan was delighted with team sheet, “Best lineup we could have.” and another was blown away by the bench, “Some bench tho!”
Another Hoops supporter asked, “Why has Engels been dropped?” another said, “Why no Trusty?”
In truth, this team even if it had Trusty and Engels in it should be strong enough to beat Rangers and the positive for Brendan Rodgers is that if he needs them, the Celtic boss can call upon them at any time.
Related Topics
