Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has named his Hoops starting XI to face Aston Villa in the final Champions League game of this season’s league phase.
With Celtic currently on 12 points and sitting 18th in the table, a place in the top 24 is secured after last week’s 1-0 win over Young Boys at Celtic Park. However, a positive result against Unai Emery’s side may give Rodgers’ men a more favourable draw in the knockout playoffs next month.
To say it’s been a busy week in the transfer market for Celtic would be an understatement, with Kyogo Furuhashi joining Rennes on Monday and Rodgers announcing at yesterday’s pre-match press conference that Alex Valle had returned to Barcelona.
With Daizen Maeda missing tonight’s game and the first leg of the knockout playoff due to a red card against Young Boys, Rodgers also revealed that Cameron Carter-Vickers will sit out tonight’s match through injury, but should be fine for Sunday’s trip to Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.
Jota also rejoined the Hoops on Monday from Rennes; however, he won’t be able to feature at Villa Park, having only signed this week.
Rodgers also broke the news that Kieran Tierney will return to Celtic, having agreed a pre-contract with the Scottish champions. However, the Irishman wasn’t willing to reveal whether he believes Tierney will return this month on loan.
With the Hoops currently a left-back down, a Tierney return would fill that gap and mean he could be registered in time for the knockout playoffs.
The majority of Celtic’s starting XI picks itself for tonight; however, Rodgers may look to spring a few surprises to catch out Villa.
Here is your Celtic Starting XI to face Aston Villa:
📋 #UCL Team News
Here’s how we line up for Matchday 8! 🔢
#AstonVillaCeltic | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/JvKRBG2Kqg— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 29, 2025
Rodgers has gone with the team that you would have anticipated, with one change at the back: Liam Scales replacing the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of defence.
In midfield, it’s unchanged, with Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor impressing last Wednesday against Young Boys. The pair certainly dominated the game, causing the Swiss champions a number of problems.
The front three is almost completely changed, with Nicolas Kuhn the only player to retain his place. Maeda is suspended, and Kyogo’s absence means Rodgers puts faith in Adam Idah up top. With his impact against Young Boys, he showed the different threat he can bring compared to Kyogo.
Yang Hyun-jun is the final change, and the South Korean will want to make the most of his chance tonight. With Jota having rejoined on Monday, it may mean Yang’s place in the team over the next six months is seriously in doubt.
Tonight’s game is live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, and kick-off is at 8pm.
