Celtic travel to Italy tonight in the Europa League.
Celtic could face one of their toughest tests of the season tonight away to Lazio in Group E of the Europa League.
After an impressive 2-1 victory over the Serie A side on the last matchday, Neil Lennon’s side are sitting pretty at the top of the four-team table with seven points after three matches.
A draw tonight would put them on the brink of qualification to the knockout stages.
Going through outright this evening is even a possibility if both the Scottish champions win against Lazio and Cluj avoid defeat at home to Rennes.
However, there’s a long way to go before those dreams become a reality.
Lazio will be out for revenge for the defeat at Celtic Park and really need a win to get their qualification hopes on track.
What kind of team will Lennon go with to counter the Italians?
Three confirmed out
Three players who started Saturday’s semi-final win against Hibernian are already confirmed to be missing from the fixture. Lennon revealed that Tom Rogic and Boli Bolingoli didn’t travel to Italy yesterday (Celtic FC), while Jeremie Frimpong is not registered for the competition.
Backed by Fraser Forster, the defensive line will have a different look to it than in recent weeks then. Hatem Abd Elhamed is likely to come in on the right flank, sandwiching Christopher Jullien and Kristofer Ajer with another. The 28-year-old has been the preferred option for Celtic’s biggest matches this season.
Who that left-back is remains to be seen, but Greg Taylor looks like the most viable candidate. Lennon has used Jonny Hayes off the bench in the position throughout his second spell as manager, but the Scotland international would surely be a more defensively robust pick.
In midfield, the situation is more settled with captain Scott Brown and Callum McGregor almost guaranteed starters.
James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi could do real damage on the counter-attack for Celtic, while Odsonne Edouard should be tasked with spearheading their efforts in the final third.
Can Celtic prove the result against the Italians in Glasgow was no fluke?
Your predicted lineup in full is:
GK – Fraser Forster
RB – Hatem Abd Elhamed
CB – Christopher Jullien
CB – Kristofer Ajer
LB – Greg Taylor
CM – Scott Brown
CM – Callum McGregor
RW – James Forrest
AM – Ryan Christie
LW – Mohamed Elyounoussi
ST – Odsonne Edouard
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