Predicted XI: Celtic vs. Ajax (A)

Before every Celtic match, the writers at Read Celtic will role-play (not that kind) and give the fans a chance to get involved as well. We will be playing the role of Ronny Deila choosing the starting XI and how they should line-up on the pitch.

Think yours is better than any of ours? Tweet @ReadCeltic your XI leading up to the game and you might be picked to have your say on Read Celtic in the future.

Ruairi Daly:

Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Simunovic, Izaguirre; Brown, Bitton; Forrest, Commons, Rogic; Griffiths

The ‘keeper and back four is a given for me. Gordon retains his starting place as does Lustig and Boyata from Saturday. Choosing Boyata is the lesser of two evils really, as the other choice is Ambrose due to Mulgrew’s injury.

Izaguirre should return to the Celtic team after missing the loss to Aberdeen. Blackett will take a bit more time to adjust to life at Celtic as we saw from Saturday’s performance there is potential with the Manchester United loanee.

New Bhoy Simunovic should get the nod alongside Boyata and much like van Dijk will be there to keep the shaky Belgian beside him in check.

In defensive midfield, it’s the same pairing as always and both will need to be on their game to help Celtic get control of the game. Brown needs to be aggressive and hassling the opposing midfielders as will Bitton who needs to use his passing prowess to pull the strings for Celtic.

The biggest question is the three more advanced roles in midfield because we have so many options. I believe Forrest didn’t start on Saturday to help him to recuperate fully from the international break and prepare for a tough night in Amsterdam. He will be a key player for Celtic going forward, given his recent performances, which is great to see after an injury-plagued couple of seasons.

Rogic gets the nod on the other wing after impressing international duty but will need to perform better than he did on Saturday. He is another player that can cause problems down the flank and will need a good performance working in tandem with Izaguirre.

The main position of concern for Celtic fans in the attacking areas has to be the number 10 role. Deila seems to favour his fellow Norwegian Johansen and although I think he is a very good player and some fans expect too much of him ( he is tied second with three goals in the teams and top of the assists chart with four) Commons get the nod for me in this game. It’s a game where we need creativity and guile and the Scot offers tat whereas his Norwegian counterpart has been lacking in that department.

Griffiths unsurprisingly starts up front as the lone striker for Celtic and will have to work tirelessly away from home to close down defenders and create chances which may be few and far between away from home.

David Walton:

Gordon; Janko, Boyata, Simunovic, Izaguirre; Brown, Bitton; Forrest, Johansen, Blackett; Griffiths.

Certain selections will no doubt come as a shock to many, but I feel it is a necessity that we shake thing sup after Saturday’s woeful 2-1 defeat at Pittodrie. Craig Gordon wasn’t convincing for the Aberdeen winner, but will keep his place in the nets.

Lustig did not look fit at all last weekend, and shouldn’t be thrown into such a difficult game against Ajax whilst he still tries to regain his 100% fitness levels. I’ve been impressed with Janko whenever I have seen him, and I feel he should be given an opportunity to impress against the Eredivisie leaders.

With Mulgrew nursing a knock, I would stick with Boyata and give new man Simunovic his first game. If the Scotland international was fit then I would’ve put him in instead of former City man Boyata, but the injury will give the Belgian a chance to redeem himself following a terrible performance against Aberdeen.

The big Croatian has yet to make an appearance for us, but you don’t pay £5m for a player who can’t hack it. Izaguirre should be given his place back if he is fit to play, as I don’t think Blackett looked too sharp defensively against Aberdeen.

In the defensive midfield positions, captain Scott Brown and Israeli Nir Bitton were border-line disgraceful at Pittodrie, but they still remain our most reliable players in the position, and since Ronny won’t tinker with his system, it makes sense to keep them in place.

Celtic only looked a real threat when James Forrest replaced Rogic on the right-wing so I would give him the nod to try an cause Ajax some problems. Johansen was another poor performer against Aberdeen, but I think it makes sense to stick with him due to his experience in these kind of games for Celtic.

Left-wing is where probably everyone will disagree with me. Tyler Blackett didn’t look too sharp defensively at the weekend, however I believe his crossing looked very promising. Our lack of height was the reason we failed to profit from several of Blackett’s teasing deliveries, but the more you put good crosses into the box, the more chance you have of scoring them. Because of this, I would put him in there.

Griffiths is our weekly no-brainer. The former Hibs man just keeps scoring goals for the Hoops, and his goal at Pittodrie should ensure that he remains in good spirits ahead of the Ajax clash. Ciftci is always there if needed, and you never know, it could be Ciftci’s big night if we need a goal.