Celtic are on an almighty high at the minute having defeated their city rivals Rangers by two goals to one in Saturday’s Glasgow derby. It was a victory that brought the feel-good factor back to the club.
The win, though, counts for nothing in terms of the title race if the Hoops don’t go to Paisley on Tuesday evening and back it up. A visit to St. Mirren lies in wait for the champions’ first game of 2024.
The SMISA Stadium is never an easy place to go to, and manager Brendan Rodgers has spoken about the chances of two key members of his squad playing. Liel Abada made his return from injury in the weekend’s derby whilst Reo Hatate was on the bench.
Rodgers was asked about their availability for the upcoming game: “I’m not in any rush with those two”, he said (Celtic FC on YouTube). “It was nice for them to be involved (in the derby). Liel is slightly ahead of Reo so that’s why get gets his minutes today. We’ve obviously got one more game then we’ve got a period of time to get them up to speed but I don’t need to rush them.”
Out wide, Rodgers has the likes of Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda, Yang, Mikey Johnston, and James Forrest available for tomorrow’s clash. Frankly, those players should provide the manager with enough firepower to win the game.
Similarly in the midfield, Paulo Bernardo’s recent form has lessened the need for an imminent Hatate return which will please the gaffer.
It would be detrimental to heavily involve Abada and his Japanese counterpart as of now. Rather, it is wise to be conservative (with a small c) and ensure they are fully recovered before providing them with consistent minutes.
Their inclusion in the matchday squad in the derby was a boost and Abada getting on the pitch will have massively helped him psychologically.
On Tuesday, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him given the same number of minutes, or even not be in the squad as Rodgers focuses on him, and Hatate, getting fully up to speed for the second half of the campaign.
