It’s Scottish Cup weekend across Scotland, with a number of lower division clubs coming up against Premiership opposition.
Celtic travel to Broadwood Stadium this Sunday to face Clyde, where they will be looking to do their job without too many problems.
This is a game that could allow Neil Lennon to make a few changes to his starting XI, though it’s likely he’ll keep the core of his team the same to avoid disrupting their stellar run of form.
The Hoops have won all six of their games since returning from the winter break by an aggregate score of 19-3. They booked their place in the Scottish Cup fifth round by beating Glasgow rivals Partick Thistle 2-1 last month.
League One outfit Clyde currently sit eighth in Scotland’s third division, having had a mixed bag of results in 2020. They’ve won two of their last four matches, including a 1-0 win over Bonnyrigg Rose which made this tie a reality.
The last time Celtic and Clyde faced each other was way back in 2006 in the same competition. Roy Keane’s Hoops debut was marred by a shock defeat as the Broadwood side won the game 2-1. A day to forget for the Celts and a result they’ve long moved on from.
It’ll be interesting to see if Lennon does grant some fringe players the opportunity to impress. New signings Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro will no doubt be working hard in training to catch the boss’ eye, but with the way the team have been performing it’ll be difficult to displace anyone based on their current form.
Here is our Celtic predicted XI.
GK: Scott Bain
I’ll throw a curveball out there right away. Could Lennon rest Forster and give one of our other ‘keepers some game-time? If so, we have Bain and Gordon competing for that number two spot.
CB: Kristoffer Ajer
Will look to get the job done and guide us into the next round with minimal problems.
CB: Christopher Jullien
Is becoming a sort of talisman for the club given his eye for goal.
CB: Jozo Simunovic
With Stephen Welsh cup-tied, Jozo could retain his place in the team; granted he’s match fit and ready to play on the artificial surface, that is.
RWB: James Forrest
Has occupied that wing-back spot in recent games and done a decent job.
LWB: Jonny Hayes
Lennon has three attacking left-backs to choose from. The cup status of this match makes me think he’ll opt for the Irishman given his tendency to get forward.
CM: Scott Brown (C)
Knows that no tie is an easy one and will have his teammates focused and ready to do the job on Sunday.
CM: Callum McGregor
A fantastic goal and two well-placed assists on Wednesday night. With the form he’s in, it’s hard to drop Cal Mac.
CM: Ryan Christie
Likely to come back into the starting lineup for the first time this year. Has come off of the bench in the last couple of games and looks in good shape.
ST: Patryk Klimala
Another curveball of sorts. Griffiths and Edouard have demonstrated a good understanding of each other so far this year, but is this the game where Lennon grants new man Klimala his first start?
ST: Odsonne Edouard
Another brace on Wednesday takes his tally to 24 goals this season so far; including seven in his last five matches. He’s our most talented player (and is pretty good at hitting free-kicks too, if you haven’t already noticed).