Daizen Maeda hasn’t quite been himself this season, and his displays for Celtic have noticeably dipped.
However, that hasn’t prevented Chris Sutton from urging Maeda to start Celtic’s crucial Premiership showdown with Rangers on Sunday.
Even though the Japanese attacker has looked like his ‘shoelaces have been tied together’ at times this campaign, Sutton highlighted the player’s ‘success’ in the Glasgow derby over the years, particularly when facing James Tavernier.
“The other one for me (to start against Rangers) is Daizen Maeda,” said Sutton. “Okay, it looks like his shoelaces have been tied together at times in front of the goal this season.
“But this is a fixture where he’s had a lot of success – especially up against James Tavernier.”
Interestingly, Maeda started and completed the full match as Celtic edged VfB Stuttgart 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, so could that suggest that Martin O’Neill might rotate? Sutton, however, is hoping his former boss chooses not to.
Chris Sutton wants Daizen Maeda to start for Celtic against Rangers
The alternative O’Neill could use on the left wing is the steadily improving Sebastian Tounekti, who has delivered a number of solid outings recently.
But as Sutton pointed out, Tounekti appears ‘more effective’ when coming off the bench, which is another reason he would rather see Maeda begin the match against the Gers.
“Up front, Junior Adamu put himself about in Germany and did well for McCowan’s goal, but I’d expect Tomas Cvancara to start,” Sutton told The Daily Record.
“The other one for me is Daizen Maeda. Okay, it looks like his shoelaces have been tied together at times in front of the goal this season.
“But this is a fixture where he’s had a lot of success – especially up against James Tavernier. It looks like the Rangers captain will be called on, with Dujon Sterling struggling for fitness.
“And that means it has to be Maeda on the left flank. Sebastian Tounekti has blown hot and cold at times, but it does seem he can be more effective from the bench anyway.
Maeda’s record against Rangers
For a long time, Maeda caused problems for Rangers, and especially their skipper, who endured difficult afternoons against the tireless forward.
But in more recent encounters, not only have Celtic struggled to make an impact in this clash, but Maeda hasn’t been able to influence games in the way he normally does.
Hopefully, with these two matches against Rangers approaching, that will shift and return to the usual pattern, because if Maeda performs at his best, then the champions of Scotland will most likely come out on top.
Maeda’s games against Rangers: 23
Wins: 13
Draws: 5
Defeats: 5
Goals scored by Maeda: 5
Assists by Maeda: 5