Celtic engineered a commendable 4-1 win over Motherwell at the Celtic Park in their last outing in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.
The encounter proved to be the last game for Celtic under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers as the Irishman has been prised away by Premier League outfit Leicester City.
Neil Lennon has been appointed as the interim manager until the end of the season with the Celts in pole position to clinch the Premiership for the eighth time in a row.
Celtic are due to be hosted by Heart of Midlothian at the Tynecastle Stadium later today. It will be interesting to see how the players fare under their new manager against a formidable Hearts’ side.
Celtic Team News
Scott Brown will be available once again after serving his suspension. However, Ryan Christie picked up a hamstring injury while plying his trade against the Steelmen and will miss the upcoming game.
Leigh Griffiths is unlikely to feature this season as he is out of action for personal reasons. Meanwhile, Olivier Ntcham, Anthony Ralston, Tom Rogic, Eboue Kouassi and Daniel Arzani are also out due to injuries. McGregor is likely to make it to the lineup if deemed fit enough.
PREDICTED CELTIC LINEUP VS HEARTS (4-3-3)
Defence
Scott Bain has cemented his place between the sticks and is set to continue in goal. He will be desperate to bag a clean sheet to start off life under the new regime.
The pairing of Dedryck Boyata and Kristoffer Ajer is expected to be stationed in central defence. These two have been resilient and have forged a good partnership at the back.
Jeremy Toljan has blown hot and cold since arriving at the Celtic Park last month. The right-back needs to improve on his performances to keep his place intact.
Kieran Tierney returned to action at the weekend and is expected to start at left-back once again. His industry down the left will be vital for the Hoops who will be keen to notch up a win.
Midfield
Ewen Henderson had a fantastic debut but might make way for a more complicated looking fixture against Hearts.
A three-man midfield setup comprising of Brown, Nir Bitton and Callum McGregor could be deployed to bring stability and add experience in the centre of the pitch.
Bitton started against Motherwell and although he fared well, he needs to work on his urgency especially when in possession of the ball.
Attack
Odsonne Edouard is expected to get the nod to start up top once again. He bagged a brace in the last outing and will be hungry to keep adding to his tally.
Meanwhile, Scott Sinclair and James Forrest have been exemplary on the flanks and there is no reason why they should be dropped from the starting XI.
