Celtic’s fixture against Lazio has been eagerly awaited by the supporters. The first European tie of the season under the lights always brings a tinge of excitement.
Dreams of taking some of Europe’s top scalps is what the Celtic fans love and, obviously, the excitement of facing continental competition breathes new life into a year that can often become dull when facing teams a minimum of four times in an SPFL season.
And now the fans will be wondering one thing. Who will start for Celtic tonight?
Luis Palma will start for Celtic vs Lazio
The Honduras international is likely to get the nod for Celtic tonight. TBR Celtic spoke this morning about how his goal against Motherwell will have him brimming with confidence.
Palma needs a run of games to get his groove in Brendan Rodgers’ side and a run out against a Lazio team who are bereft of confidence will suit him down to a tee.
In the short time he has been at Celtic, Palma has impressed the coaching staff behind the scenes and the work he is putting in at training looks like it’s starting to show on the pitch. He also offers Celtic a dangerous option at set-pieces.
Giving Palma the nod against Lazio will be a tremendous boost to him and he could kick on with a good performance against the Italians.
Hyunjun Yang must drop out for Celtic vs Lazio
The South Korean winger has shown flashes of skill and trickery but, ultimately, he is falling short where it matters in the final third.
Against Motherwell, the £2m man huffed and puffed at the Fir Park defence but when push came to shove, he couldn’t produce that piece of quality that was needed to unlock The Steelmen’s backdoor.
Yang has impressed former Celtic hero Stan Petrov this season, but overall, he has lacked a cutting edge.
For all the promise he shows, there is a lack of end product and that will be a concern for Brendan Rodgers.
Yang could be a player that benefits from coming off the bench to make an impact and that is how he must be used tonight.
Players full of confidence and in form must be used and it seems that Yang may well be short of both.
Predicted Celtic XI vs Lazio
Formation: 4-3-3
GK: Joe Hart
DEF: Greg Taylor, Nat Phillips, Liam Scales, Alistair Johnston
MID: Matt O’Riley, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate
FW: Luis Palma, Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda
Prediction: Celtic 2 v 0 Lazio
In other news, ‘Privately’: Journalist shares what Celtic sources have told him about Ange Postecoglou’s management