Celtic will be looking to continue their recent good form away from home in Perth.
Neil Lennon and his Celtic side head into tonight’s Scottish Premiership five points clear at the top of the table after a dramatic weekend of action.
Victory over Ross County put the right amount of pressure on Rangers when Sunday rolled around, with Steven Gerrard’s side blinking against bottom-of-the-table Hearts.
Both Glasgow sides play at the same time tonight and it could be another pivotal round of fixtures in the title race.
Celtic’s test comes in the form of a live TV match away to St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
Tommy Wright’s side have had mixed fortunes of late but have at least proven themselves difficult to beat, losing just once in their last eight matches.
Lennon’s team have returned strongly from the winter break and having already thrashed Saints 7-0 this season will head to Perth full of confidence.
Injuries and suspensions are beginning to look a bit kinder for the Scottish champions, so what kind of team will the Hoops boss go for tonight?
The headline news could be the return of Ryan Christie after earning a suspension during the late December derby against Rangers. Also recovering from injury, he has every chance of coming straight back into Lennon’s eleven.
He scored a hat-trick against St Johnstone in the last meeting between the two sides and has been one of Celtic’s stand-out players all season, so it would be a major return.
Another big boost to Lennon is the lack of injury problems for Odsonne Edouard after missing out on a starting berth against Ross County.
Having had an injury scare prior to that match, he was limited to second half action from the bench and showed his class with a Celtic Park double.
Like Christie, he should start tonight.
In defence, Lennon regular Kristoffer Ajer is also available again after recovering from a virus (Daily Record). With Jozo Simunovic a fitness doubt for the fixture, that should ensure the Norwegian international returns.
There’s a big call to make at left-back too, with doubts about Jonny Hayes’ ability to perform adequately in the position.
Some fans hated his Saturday display against the Staggies and with both Boli Bolingoli and Greg Taylor available, Lennon has to decide whether to persevere or go with another option.
Elsewhere it should be a familiar lineup taking into account injuries to Jeremie Frimpong and Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Your predicted XI in full is:
GK – Fraser Forster
RB – Moritz Bauer
CB – Kristoffer Ajer
CB – Christopher Jullien
LB – Boli Bolingoli
CM – Scott Brown
CM – Callum McGregor
RW – James Forrest
AM – Ryan Christie
LW – Mikey Johnston
ST – Odsonne Edouard
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