Neil Lennon’s Celtic travel to Tynecastle tonight in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic continue the defence of their Scottish league title crown tonight away to Daniel Stendel’s Hearts.
The trip is the 17th Scottish Premiership match of the season for Lennon’s side, who have the chance to go five points clear of Rangers at the top of the table, with Steven Gerrard’s team not playing until Friday night.
Tynecastle has traditionally been a difficult venue for Celtic to get results in, but the signs heading into this fixture are not good for the home outfit.
The Jam Tarts have won just one match since the end of September and have lost six of their last eight matches. It’s dreadful form that sits in direct contrast to what Celtic have achieved recently.
The Hoops haven’t lost a single Scottish Premiership match in over two months, winning every league fixture since defeat to Livingston in October.
League Cup success and European qualification has also occurred, with Lennon showing that standards have definitely not slipped since the Brendan Rodgers.
Nonetheless, Celtic will likely be made to work hard for any victory this evening and the Hoops boss must name a strong team to get the job done.
One returning star that could significantly boost their chances of winning is Ryan Christie, with BBC Scotland reporting he’ll be available for selection after missing games against Cluj and Hibs.
He is Celtic’s top scorer this season and will provide a potent threat if he starts this evening.
Elsewhere, Lennon has almost a full complement of players to choose from including stalwarts such as Scott Brown, Callum McGregor, Odsonne Edouard and Christopher Jullien.
However, there is an important call to be made at left-back, where Boli Bolingoli didn’t exactly shine in Celtic’s last two matches.
With the Belgian still getting back to full fitness, it could be wise to start Greg Taylor, with Jonny Hayes reported to be facing a late fitness battle (BBC Scotland).
Mikey Johnston is in a similar situation to Hayes, so we may even see a return for Lewis Morgan on the flank.
Your predicted lineup in full is: Forster, Frimpong, Jullien, Ajer, Taylor, Brown, McGregor, Forrest, Christie, Morgan, Edouard.
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