Potential Celtic team against Rangers
Joe Hart is a certainty to feature in goal as he aims to finish his playing career on a high before retirement this summer. It could be a busier afternoon for him than normal so we need to see him at his shot-stopping best.
Greg Taylor and Alistair Johnston are both available to take care of business on the flanks. They have key threats to counter in the wide areas and will be critical in linking the play on the counter-attack to exploit the home side.
The central defensive pairing looks set to be Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales. Maik Nawrocki is available again after injury but Rodgers will go with the duo he trusts most and who have played the most football this season.
Midfield is where the biggest call will be made. Rodgers indicated in his pre-match media conference that Callum McGregor could get by at 80%. However, he also stated that the player is actually weeks ahead of schedule in terms of when someone would usually heal from his injury and that a final call had yet to be made on whether he will start or feature as a substitute.
For me, it’s too much of a risk to start a fixture of this magnitude carrying an issue when Tomoki Iwata could do a good job as that midfield anchor, supporting Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley.
I reckon McGregor will be in the match squad but is more likely to be used as a second-half substitute.
Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang will be on hand to freshen things up as substitutes as the game progresses.
The performance will all be in service of supplying Kyogo Furuhashi, who showed in 2023 that he was the king of this fixture. If Celtic can fashion a chance or two for the Japanese star, he has the quality to punish the home side and silence Ibrox just like in September.
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