It’s a shame that Brendan Rodgers’ side kick-off at Saturday lunchtime, and not after Rangers’ trip to Pittodrie to take on Aberdeen on Sunday.
That’s because, if Celtic beat Killie, and Barry Ferguson’s Rangers lose to Aberdeen, then it’s title number 55 in the bag for Scotland’s most successful club.
Either way, everyone inside Celtic Park will want to lift the gloom of the recent Premiership meeting where the champions-elect lost to bottom club, St Johnstone.
odgers wasn’t a happy man after that match, and rightly so, it wasn’t a case of being annoyed with that display, but how it’s become too much of a common theme of late.
That’s why it’s going to be interesting to see the types of changes the Celtic manager makes for the visit of Kilmarnock, as Stephen McGinn is clear on what he wants to see.
Brendan Rodgers urged to start James Forrest and Paulo Bernardo against Kilmarnock
It’s pretty obvious that Nicolas Kuhn won’t start at the weekend, especially given that he was one of two players hooked off at half-time in Perth.
As a result, McGinn would like James Forrest to be handed his first start of 2025 – after returning and earning minutes off the bench in recent weeks.
Forrest is searching for his first goal of the campaign, which would mean he has scored in every season, and McGinn would also keep Daizen Maeda in the middle and Jota off the left, as he told Go Radio.
“I think Hatate was, by far, Celtic’s best midfielder against Kilmarnock,” said McGinn. “Just in my opinion. Very lucky not to score, the one that came off the post.
“I think he is playing better than Arne Engels is, at the minute. I would put Bernardo back in for Engels for Saturday. Bernardo would bring the energy and spark that Brendan is looking for. He has a natural enthusiasm for the game.
“I would be Kuhn out. I think Brendan Rodgers might take Kuhn out and bring Idah in, with Jota on the right. I think that’s what he might do.
“I would put James Forrest straight back in. I would just go Forrest. I would keep Maeda through the middle. I would go Jota off the left. I think Jota is better off the left. Adam Idah is a better sub when he comes on. He looks fresher and sharper.”
Liam Scales to return for Auston Trusty?
It’s not just the forward areas or the midfield that have been a talking point, but the defence too, which has looked rather shaky and pretty poor since the turn of the year.
Despite Maik Nawrocki’s strong performances, Auston Trusty returned to the XI against St Johnstone, but McGinn shared that he would take him straight back out.
If Liam Scales is fit, then McGinn added that he would throw the Irishman back in, next to Cameron Carter-Vickers.
“If Liam Scales is available, then I think Brendan Rodgers will put him straight back in for Trusty,” said McGinn.
“I think he is back on the grass, and I think it was quite a bad break in his jaw. I thought Trusty was really slack.”
