Celtic will look to cause an upset when they take on Valencia in the second leg of the round of 32 Europa League game on Thursday.
After losing the first leg 2-0 against the Spanish side, Celtic bounced back well to beat Kilmarnock away from home in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, and subsequently opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table.
The Hoops are in scintillating form in the domestic competitions, but need to muster a spirited display to have any chance to turn the first leg scoreline around.
Valencia looked largely comfortable in the last outing, and Brendan Rodgers’ side need to force the issue at the Mestalla on Thursday.
Celtic Team News
Brendan Rodgers’ side will once again be without the services of Tom Rogic, Kouassi Eboue and Daniel Arzani owing to their long-term injuries.
While Filip Benkovic is still sidelined due to his leg injury, Leigh Griffiths is still taking his time off the pitch due to personal reasons.
Kieran Tierney and Olivier Ntcham are a few days away from making their return, while Marvin Compper is back in training following his groin injury.
Predicted Celtic Lineup
Defence
Scott Bain is the Hoops’ first choice custodian is expected to keep his place in the Celtic lineup.
Jeremy Toljan should continue at right-back despite a couple of average outings, while Jonny Hayes might operate as a makeshift left-back once again. Tierney needs to be eased back into the thick of things, so he might get a few minutes off the bench at best.
Kristoffer Ajer and Dedryck Boyata fared well against the Killie, and Rodgers is expected to go with the same centre-half pairing.
Midfield
Scott Brown’s late winning strike against Kilmarnock sparked wild celebrations from the travelling away fans in the last league game, and he’ll be full of confidence against Los Che.
Brown will want to produce yet another captain’s display, and he is likely to get the nod to start in central midfield alongside Callum McGregor.
Overall, Ryan Christie hasn’t been at his best in recent fixtures. However, he is expected to start as the attacking midfielder in the absence of Rogic.
Attack
Oliver Burke should be selected to lead the line of the Hoops. Odsonne Edouard was preferred over him in the last league game, but he failed to make the most of the opportunity.
Rodgers has started with James Forrest and Scott Sinclair on the flanks in every single European outing this season, and might stick with the duo.
