The Hoops are in must-win territory in their Champions League group, hoping to keep their European football hopes alive after Christmas with a memorable away day victory.
Celtic are in must-win territory tonight, looking to emulate Neil Lennon’s 2019 class in Rome.
The Hoops’ hero that night was Olivier Ntcham, whose stoppage time winner secured a stunning win over the Serie A outfit to book a place in the Europa League last 32 stage with two games to spare. There is no such luxury this time around, with Brendan Rodgers and his current crop fighting for European survival after picking up just one point from four Champions League games to date ahead of tonight’s clash at the Stadio Olimpico.
The first meeting between the two was full of drama, with Luis Palma – suspended for tonight’s return – denied a late strike with less than 10 minutes remaining after Daizen Maeda, another injured player, got a slight touch on the cross before the Honduran fired home to make it 2-1 before VAR intervened. It set up a tense finish, with Pedro deafening Parkhead and sending the travelling fans wild as he headed past Joe Hart deep into added time to secure all three points for the Italians.
Lazio understands that a win will not only eliminate Celtic from the Champions League and Europa League, but will also boost their chances of reaching the last 16 of Europe’s premier competition. It would also give them the guaranteed fallback of second-tier competition, with a lot riding on a huge 90-minute performance tonight.
With Palma suspended and Maeda injured, Rodgers faces difficult decisions in the attacking third. It could mean a return to the starting lineup for James Forrest, who is available after missing out against Motherwell, while Mikey Johnston came on as a late substitute and won the penalty that David Turnbull converted to make it 1-0 before the visitors equalized in the 90th minute. Yang will be another contender for a starting spot, with Liel Abada still unavailable for selection.
Turnbull will be hoping to get the better of Odin Thiago Holm and Paulo Bernardo in the middle of the park as the trio competes for a spot in the engine room alongside Matt O’Riley and skipper Callum McGregor. Alistair Johnston will likely return to right-back after being rested over the weekend, with Anthony Ralston playing the full 90 minutes.
Celtic predicted XI to face Lazio: Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, McGregor, Turnbull; Yang, Johnston; Kyogo.
Leave a Reply