Wilfried Nancy's ideal first Celtic starting XI vs Hearts as radical formation change expected
Here’s who we think will start for Celtic against fellow Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts at Parkhead this Sunday
A new era has begun at Celtic this week as head coach Wilfried Nancy gets to work following his appointment on a two-and-a-half year deal from MLS side Columbus Crew.
The Hoops resume domestic action on Sunday against joint-top Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, having wiped out the Jambos eight point lead at the summit in recent weeks after a narrow 1-0 victory over Dundee at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
Back on home soil again this weekend, Nancy will soak up the acclaim of the Celtic fans pre-match before getting down to business with a crucial fixture against Derek McInnes’ faltering side.
Wilfried Nancy on first Celtic game
We think Nancy will make FOUR changes to the side that Martin O’Neill named for his final match as interim boss against Dundee on Wednesday night, including a change of formation from 4-3-3 to the Frenchman’s favoured 3-4-2-1 system.
Anthony Ralston and Kieran Tierney could be told to slot in as wing-backs, with youngster Dane Murray stepping into central defence as part of a back three. Tunisian winger Sebastian Tounekti could be reinstated in attack, joining Yang Hyun-jun in supporting lone striker Daizen Maeda.
That would see Colby Donovan, Reo Hatate and Luke McCowan drop to the bench with Boca Juniors loanee Marcelo Saracchi expected to left out of the matchday squad after picking up an injury niggle in midweek.
Nancy said during his pre-match presser: “I already knew the demands were high and everyone talks about winning. I don’t know a competitor who likes to lose. Yes, we want to win, but how do we do it? When we lose, what does it mean? Is it the end of the world? No, because sometimes we lose and we get better.
“I know if I don’t go a good job, after five or ten games, it’ll be like that. I don’t have an issue with that because this is part of my job. My job is to be clear, maximise our chances to win, find a way to be consistent and the outcome is to win trophies. I can’t control the outcome but I can control what we do every day on the pitch.
Predicted Celtic XI vs Hearts
“Celtic is Celtic, this is a big club. It’s a club for all. When I read about the story of Celtic it fits into my background. I’m happy to discover a new culture, it’s good for myself. Also the style of play, this is important for me because this is a way of life. The fit with Celtic is obvious because we like to play this kind of football.
“I’m excited. The way I am as a person we have a big challenge ahead of us but I am really exciting by that. These will be good games. Every game is a good game because we play against a style of play, we don’t play the name of a team. We know what we want to do. We’ll take it one game at a time.
“Up and down, we’re going to have it. The idea is to improve each time. We have to control what we can control, to be good with the process and bring clarity into how we want to play. And then to play with passion.”
Predicted Celtic team vs Hearts (3-4-2-1): Schmeichel; Trusty, Murray, Scales, Ralston, McGregor, Engels, Tierney, Yang, Tounekti, Maeda