Celtic’s festive period continues with a crucial Boxing Day match away to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership. The Bhoys find themselves in a tight title race, currently holding a two-point lead at the top of the table over second-placed Rangers, who have a game in hand.
With a derby showdown on the horizon, it’s imperative that Celtic maintain their position after reclaiming victory in their recent match against Livingston.
Dundee, despite their promotion from the Championship, have been a formidable force this season and will be determined to secure every possible point in front of their home crowd at Dens Park.
Looking ahead, the key question remains the kind of lineup manager Brendan Rodgers will opt for. Here’s our best projection for the day’s starting eleven.
As usual, Joe Hart is expected to continue in goal, with Scott Bain providing backup. However, there is increasing speculation that Celtic may need to seek a new goalkeeper as Hart’s position in the team is threatened.
In defense, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales will be eager to build on their clean sheet against Livingston, and Greg Taylor is likely to be deployed on the left flank.
While there’s no official word on Alistair Johnston’s fitness, it’s possible he picked up a knock in the previous match and could be replaced by Anthony Ralston.
Paulo Bernardo’s steady performance at the weekend is likely to see him retain his place in midfield, especially with Tomoki Iwata still unavailable. Odin Thiago Holm should also be back from illness, providing another option.
The central spots are expected to be occupied by Matt O’Riley and Callum McGregor, with Rodgers likely to maintain the same formation.
In the attacking third, Luis Palma and Kyogo Furuhashi, who demonstrated a sharp attacking edge against Livingston, are expected to be named in the starting lineup, alongside Daizen Maeda, who continues to regain full match fitness on the right wing.
The predicted XI in full is: Hart, Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, O’Riley, Maeda, Palma, Kyogo.
