Celtic take on BW Linz in a friendly this evening.
Celtic starting line-up: De Vries; Lustig, Sviatchenko, McCart, Miller; Brown, McGregor, Armstrong; Hayes, Mackay-Steven, Griffiths.
Celtic substitutes: Hazard, Simunovic, Bitton, Sinclair, Boyata, Forrest, Henderson, Ralston, Tierney, Aitchison, Rodgers.
Celtic kick off their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Blau-Weiss Linz in Austria this evening.
Brendan Rodgers’ men enjoyed a stunning campaign last season, winning all three domestic trophies on offer without even losing a single game.
Now, the Bhoys are back in action and pursuing more success, with Rodgers looking to get his squad geared up for the Champions League qualifiers, which start next month.
This evening’s game against BW Linz gives Rodgers a chance to get his players on the field in search of form and fitness, with the Celtic boss naming an experimental side.
Dorus De Vries starts in goal with a rare start, whilst youngsters Jamie McCart and Calvin Miller join Mikael Lustig and Erik Sviatchenko in the back four, with Scott Brown, Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong forming a familiar midfield.
New signing Jonny Hayes starts out wide opposite from Gary Mackay-Steven, with Leigh Griffiths leading the attack in the absence of Moussa Dembele.
Rodgers has named his son Anton – who is on trial with the Bhoys – on the bench, alongside big names like Jozo Simunovic, Nir Bitton, Scott Sinclair, Dedryck Boyata, James Forrest and Kieran Tierney.
Youngsters Conor Hazard, Liam Henderson, Anthony Ralston and Jack Aitchison are also on the bench for Celtic this evening as they look to establish themselves in Rodgers’ setup.
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