Donovan retains spot, Hatate benched: Celtic confirmed starting XI vs Braga for first home Europa League clash
Brendan Rodgers’ has named his Celtic starting line-up to face S.C. Braga in their latest Europa League fixture at Parkhead
Brendan Rodgers has named his Celtic starting XI to face S.C. Braga for their first Europa League fixture at Parkhead on matchday two of the league phase.
Aiming to build on an opening 1-1 draw with Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital last week, the Hoops face a Portuguese side who are enduring a challenging run of results. Despite opening their European campaign with a victory over Feyenoord, Braga have won just once in their last five Primeira Liga games.
Rodgers will hope his side can find their shooting boots and continue their defensive solidity against a potentially dangerous opponent. They will have to be on their A-game to secure maximum points, but will take heart from knowing they have only tasted defeat once in their last eight home games in UEFA competition.
Team news: Reo Hatate benched as youngster favoured at right-back
Rodgers makes FOUR changes to his starting line-up from the side that played out a goalless draw with Hibs on Premiership duty last weekend.
Kieran Tierney is back in the fold and set for his 400th career appearance, while 19-year-old Colby Donovan is favoured to start at right-back. Paulo Bernardo is given the nod to start against his compatriots, while Benjamin Nygren is also restored to the XI.
Anthony Ralston, Marcello Saracchi, Arne Engels and Luke McCowan all drop to the bench. Central defender Auston Trusty makes his return to the squad after a spell on the sidelines through injury.
Former Celtic centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke starts for the visitors, having swiftly established himself as a regular in Portugal. Vastly experienced 146-capped midfielder Joao Moutinho is among the substitutes.
What Kasper Schmeichel has said pre-match
“I think Braga will be a tough team to play against. They will be very well-organised and aggressive. As a team, they have good technical players, and they are very well-structured and organised.
“They will be a tough opponent, but I’m very confident that if we play up to our potential, then we will be able to win the game. I think any good team is built on solid defence. We as a team press very high up the pitch and defend very well everywhere.
“We minimise chances for the opposition, and we give ourselves a platform to go and win games. So we have been happy with that.
“The Europa League is massively important this season. We can’t affect the past now. All we can go and do is as well in this competition as possible, so it’s vitally important for us.
“Any time you put on a Celtic shirt, you are expected to win. Whether it’s in Europe or whatever it is, you are expected to win. That is the expectations we have for ourselves. This is an extremely important competition for us.'
“Winning breeds confidence. It doesn’t matter where or when it is, it always breeds confidence. Any time you put on this shirt, you’ve got to win. So, there’s not really any difference between winning in any competition.”
Here's your confirmed starting XI’s ahead of this evening’s European tie in Glasgow’s east end...
Celtic:
Kasper Schmeichel; Colby Donovan, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor (C), Paulo Bernardo, Benjamin Nygren, Daizen Maeda, Sebastian Tounekti, Kelechi Iheanacho.
SUBS: Viljami Sinisalo (GK), Auston Trusty, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Yang Hyun-jun, Luke McCowan, Johnny Kenny, Arne Engels, Marcello Saracchi, Reo Hatate, Dane Murray, James Forrest, Anthony Ralston.
SC Braga:
Lukas Hornicek; Yanis Da Rocha, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Bright Arrey-Mbi, Leonardo Lelo, Vitor Carvalho, Florian Grillitsch, Jean-Baptiste Gorby, Pau Victor, Ricardo Horta (C), Amine El Ouazzani.