Celtic face Falkirk in the first game of the post-split fixtures as Martin O’Neill’s side fight to retain their title. The Hoops blew St Mirren away in extra time at Hampden last weekend to set up a Scottish Cup Final next month; however, the focus returns to league action and the five vital matches that will determine where the Premiership trophy goes.
John McGlynn’s side were in the wrong side in the first semi final last weekend and will be keen to finish the season strongly, despite an insurmountable gap between the Bairns and 5th placed Hibernian. Celtic will be hoping to use that extra time display as a platform to ‘click’ for the run-in.
Team News
Celtic go into the game with no fresh injury concerns but both Callum Osmand and Alistair Johnston have stepped up their return to action and the Canadian star is expected to be involved in some capacity. Long term injuries to Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kasper Schmeichel remain.
Vil Sinisalo will start between the sticks. A couple of errors with the ball at his feet at Hampden went unpunished and the Finnish stopper will be keen for a quieter evening.
Liam Scales, who signed a new long term deal yesterday, is expected to come back into the team at the expense of Benjamin Arthur. The Irish International will likely partner Auston Trusty with Tony Ralston continuing at right back after impressing last weekend. There is an argument for Marcelo Saracchi to start over Kieran Tierney, simply to manage the minutes of KT.
In midfield, expect Arne Engels to start alongside Callum McGregor and the likeliest third midfielder is Benji Nygren. The Swedish international is a frustrating player at times but having netted 20 goals, he is expected to continue.
In attack, there are strong arguments to start Kelechi Iheanacho and James Forrest but the manager may opt with just Iheanacho through the middle with Maeda out wide alongside Yang, allowing Forrest and Tounekti to make an impact off the bench.
The Green Brigade have called for supporters to give vocal backing to the team, urging those that can to stand up and cheer the team onto victory as they look to win five games out of five and take the title out of Hearts and Rangers’ hands.
Referee Details
The SFA have confirmed the appointment of Ryan Lee
Lee will be assisted by Jonathan Bell and Dougie Potter. Meanwhile, Chris Graham is on VAR with Greg Aitken assisting.
Kick Off Time
The game kicks off at 5:30pm (Celtic Park Time).
Where to Watch
The game is a sell out with a capacity crowd expected for the first of three home games after the split. The action from Celtic Park will be covered by Premier Sports as part of their Saturday Night Football coverage.
Celtic TV will also pick up coverage of the game for subscribers outside Britain & Ireland.
