Celtic are back in action in the Scottish Premiership later today knowing that victory would move them four points clear at the top of the table.
Rangers don’t play until Sunday and then Wednesday, facing Ross County and Dundee in a doubleheader on the road.
While the Bhoys may not get the chance to firmly secure league leader status until the next derby, it’s crucial to keep the pressure on Philippe Clement’s outfit regardless of their games in hand.
Having nursed the squad back to full health ahead of last week’s trip to Ibrox, Brendan Rodgers is again facing a few fitness and injury issues for the visit of St Mirren.
The Celtic boss confirmed in a pre-match media conference that both Daizen Maeda and Liam Scales will miss out on this weekend’s match. What kind of eleven will the manager go with? Here’s our best go at today’s team for the Celtic Park clash.
Potential Celtic team vs St Mirren
Joe Hart will remain in goal, now just a handful of matches away from retirement.
Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor will flank the defence ahead of the goalkeeper. Cameron Carter-Vickers also remains fit and available so can partner Liam Scales’ replacement.
The most likely candidate to fill in for the Republic of Ireland international is Maik Nawrocki. He’s back in match condition after injury issues of his own and has been consistently preferred to Gustaf Lagerbielke when available. We’ve yet to see the full potential of last summer’s signing and fans would love to check in on his progress.
In midfield, Tomoki Iwata should retain his position given Callum McGregor is still working his way back to peak condition. Rodgers won’t want to take any risks with the captain but may use him as a second-half substitute again.
The more attack-minded duo of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley are on hand to provide the creativity needed to break down St Mirren’s defence.
In attack, Nicolas Kuhn is a smart bet to feature on the right wing while Luis Palma is a strong contender to replace the injured Maeda. The Honduran has had a good week of training under his belt after injury.
Hyunjun Yang is another option for the manager and will get minutes off the bench if he doesn’t start.
Despite Adam Idah’s goal at Ibrox, Kyogo Furuhashi is the man to start with again through the middle. We know the Norwich City loanee can make that impact as a substitute if needed.
Your Predicted XI in full: Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki, Taylor, Iwata, O’Riley, Hatate, Kuhn, Palma, Kyogo.