da bwin： After a demoralising 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this week, Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action hoping to put those woes behind them and assert their authority on domestic football again. At the top of the Scottish Premiership table, a win would ensure that status going into next week’s big derby clash at Ibrox.
da betobet： The visitors to Celtic Park are Highland side Ross County, a team struggling for form having only won one of their first five fixtures in the Scottish top-flight. It’s the perfect opportunity for the Hoops to destroy the opposition and rack up a big win by a huge margin.
However, nothing can be taken for granted and with a large and diverse squad to choose from, Brendan Rodgers has the opportunity to freshen things up from Tuesday night’s action in Europe.
Players who didn’t start that one are champing at the bit to get into Rodgers’ first-choice starting eleven, meaning they’ll be hungry to impress against County.
These are the THREE changes the Celtic boss should make for Saturday’s match-up…
Tom Rogic in for Stuart Armstrong
Tom Rogic has been in and out of the Celtic starting eleven this season and while he’s made substitute appearances, he’s started just 7 of the Hoops’ 13 matches. Saturday is the perfect match for him to show why he should be starting every single week for the Hoops after their midfield under-performed against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Of course, the midfield was playing elite opposition but there was a lack of composure and it looked much improved in the second half with Rogic playing through the middle.
Stuart Armstrong has had ups and downs this season and while he offers much to the Celtic team, his running and hard work won’t be as necessary against Ross County as Rogic’s dynamic creativity and ability to break down tight defences.
Callum McGregor in for Olivier Ntcham
Olivier Ntcham is another Celtic player who could do with a demonstration that competition for midfield places in the Celtic team is fierce. Callum McGregor always plays with passion and conviction and, having just signed a new four-year deal with the club this week, Saturday is the perfect chance to stake a claim alongside Scott Brown in the Hoops midfield.
That new contract will have him on a high and being a Celtic fan all his life, he’ll be desperate to show Brendan Rodgers why he should be starting next week’s match at Ibrox, where he scored last time in a fantastic 5-1 victory.
With three goals already this season, he has a goal threat that the more patient Ntcham doesn’t, and has no fear to drive forward with the ball to try and make something happen in the final third.
Celtic’s biggest danger on Saturday is complacency, something McGregor never suffers from.
Moussa Dembele in for Leigh Griffiths
With Moussa Dembele again available for selection this weekend, the Hoops are getting back their star man to play a significant part as the season ramps up both in terms of a heavier schedule and more difficulty.
It could be argued that he shouldn’t be rushed back into action, but having trained with the Celtic first team for a number of weeks now, he wouldn’t be back in contention for a start if he was an injury risk.
What he needs is match practice ahead of monster clashes against Rangers and Anderlecht. Leigh Griffiths has been excellent so far this season and it’s perhaps a little harsh to drop him, but the Ross County game is the perfect starting point for Dembele to re-assert his reputation as the best striker in Scotland.