Maeda missing, Tierney returns, Johnston absent: Celtic confirmed starting XI vs Dundee in Tayside
Brendan Rodgers has named his Celtic starting line-up to face Dundee in their latest Scottish Premiership clash at Dens Park
Brendan Rodgers has named his Celtic starting XI to face Dundee in their latest Scottish Premiership clash at Dens Park in Tayside.
The Hoops have arrived in the City of Discovery early doors for a noon kick-off on their return to domestic action following the recent international break.
The champions were held to a pulsating 3-3 draw on their previous visit to Dens back in mid-January, when midfielder Arne Engels slotted home a 90th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot on a night of high drama.
Team news: 3 changes with Maeda injured & Johnston still absent
Rodgers makes THREE changes to his starting line-up from the side that ran out late 3-2 winners over Motherwell before the international break. Kieran Tierney comes in for Marcello Sarrachi at left-back, while Benjamin Nygren is favoured over Luke McCowan in midfield and Yang Hyun-jun is given the nod to fill in for the injured Daizen Maeda.
There’s NO place in the matchday squad for right-back Alistair Johnston, with the match deemed to have come too soon for the returning Canadian international.
Rodgers told BBC Sportsound pre-match: “We assessed him (Alistair), he just still felt a little bit tight coming back into training. Hopefully he won't be too far away from Thursday.”
What Cameron Carter-Vickers has said pre-match
“I’m looking forward to it. We’ve had a couple of weeks without a game, so it will be good to get out there and back playing. There are areas that we want to improve upon, but, results-wise, especially domestically, it’s been pretty good.
“We’ve got a few new players in, and players in and out of the team, but as time has gone on, we’ve become a bit more cohesive, and hopefully that will continue. In general you are always looking to improve, but I think at the moment we are more focused on our attacking play and trying to create more opportunities to score more goals.
“I think the defence has been pretty good. We’ve conceded two in each of the last two games to Motherwell and Braga, but, up until that point, we hadn’t conceded many at all to be honest, so defensively I feel we’ve been okay.
“I don’t think any game is a gimme. A lot of times I’ve played up there it’s always been in difficult games and tight games, so we’re probably expecting that at the weekend as well.”
Here's your confirmed starting XI’s ahead of this afternoon’s league encounter in Tayside...
Dundee:
Jon McCracken; Clark Robertson, Ryan Astley, Drey Wright, Imari Samuels, Simon Murray (C), Joe Westley, Cameron Congreve, Luke Graham, Ethan Hamilton.
SUBS: Kieran O’Hara (GK), Ethan ingram, Aaron Donnelly, Emile Acquah, Finlay Robertson, Ashley Hay, Tony Yogane, Yan Dhanda, Callum Jones,
Celtic:
Kasper Schmeichel; Anthony Ralston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor (C), Reo Hatate, Benjamin Nygren, Yang Hyun-jun, Sebastian Tounekti, Kelechi Iheanacho.