Alan Stubbs says Anthony Stokes will be huge against Celtic

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Brendan Rodgers’s Celtic will take on Neil Lennon’s Hibernian in the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup on Saturday.

Alan Stubbs has told The Scottish Sun that Anthony Stokes will be huge in the Scottish League Cup semi-final tie between Hibernian and Celtic on Saturday afternoon.

Scottish Premiership rivals Hibernian and Celtic will face each other for a place in the final of the prestigious cup competition.

Stokes is one of the best players at Hibs and is likely to start against his former club.

The 29-year-old striker was on the books of Celtic from 2010 until 2016 and joined Hibernian on a permanent contract in the summer of 2017.

This is the former Arsenal prospect’s third spell at Hibs. Stokes played for the Edinburgh outfit in 2009-10 and returned for a loan spell from Celtic in 2016.

Former Celtic central defender and Hibernian manager Stubbs believes that Stokes will be huge in Saturday’s tie.

“It’ll be a brilliant stage for Anthony Stokes,” Stubbs told The Scottish Sun. “It’s what he thrives on. He’s in good form, scoring goals and contributing a lot to how the team’s performing.

“He’s going to be huge on Saturday. If he plays well and John McGinn plays well then Hibs have got a good chance.”

Celtic will head into the tie against Hibernian as favourites, as they are the better team.

Moreover, Brendan Rodgers’s side will be determined to bounce back from the 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich away from home at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.