Predicted Celtic team vs Hibs: 4 changes as Brendan Rodgers wraps several stars in cotton wool for cup final

Premiership champions Celtic host Europe-chasing Hibs in their latest league fixture at Parkhead on Saturday as they continue to tick the games off one by one with everything geared towards the Scottish Cup final later this month.

Brendan Rodgers’ side reaffirmed their dominance once again this season by clinching the title a fortnight ago and the remaining three matches will present the Hoops boss with a perfect chance to rotate his squad and give a number of the club’s talented youngsters some first-team exposure.

In contrast, third-placed Hibs are still fighting to secure qualification to the Europa League next term and are just one of four teams to have already beaten the Parkhead side this term. However, the hosts are unbeaten at Celtic Park in this head-to-head stretching back to January 2010.

In addition to crocked trio Jota (ACL), Cameron Carter-Vickers (hamstring) and Alistair Johnston (hip), Rodgers could decide to rest a number of key players including the likes of Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate as the build up to their end-of-season Hampden showpiece against Aberdeen continues.

That would potentially allow Rodgers to promote some B-team starlets to the bench this weekend with Francis Turley, Jude Bonnar and Sean McArdle all recently included in matchday squads. There could be a spot open for midfielder Kyle Ure, who was voted as the club’s Academy Player of the Year at Celtic’s awards night earlier this week.

Speaking in his pre-match media conference on Friday, Rodgers hinted he will freshen up his squad with first-choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel set to be included in the squad for the first time since March after nursing himself back to fitness from a shoulder injury.

On the goalkeeping situation, he stated: “Kasper will be available. As for VIljami, I think it’s been an interesting one because if Kasper had stayed fit we may not have seen so much of him, in which case then we would have had a decision in the summer because he’s a very, very talented young goalkeeper and it was in the case of does he go out on loan to get that experience with the view to him coming back to challenge Kasper to be number one.

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“Indirectly, the situation has really, really helped us and cleared up that thinking because he’s been excellent and he’s played with real authority and calmness for such a young goalkeeper. He did a big test away at Ibrox last week, he came through that really, really well. I’ve been pleased for him.

“Kasper was our number one goalkeeper, he’s been brilliant for us all season. It’s just really good to have him back and available and we assess it from there. I think we just have to be careful with him, and we’ll wait to see until later on how his shoulder has reacted, and then we can make a decision then who will play tomorrow. Everything to that plan is on point at this moment in time.”

Predicted Celtic XI vs Hibs (4-3-3)

Viljami Sinisalo; Anthony Ralston, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, Jeffrey Schlupp; Callum McGregor, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo; James Forrest Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah.

SUBS: Kasper Schmeichel (GK), Greg Taylor, Yang Hyun-jun, Maik Nawrocki, Johnny Kenny, Arne Engels, Kyle Ure, Jude Bonnar, Francis Turley.

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