As far as post European assignments go, there are certainly easier places to go than Easter Road.
Not an Easy Trip
Hibernian were one of the few clubs to pose Celtic genuine problems during Brendan Rodgers first spell in charge. The usual suspects in the Scottish media made huge noise around the fact Rodgers hadn’t won there during his first time at Celtic. This reached fever pitch when we drew 0-0 there on the first visit of his second spell in late 2023.
It took a 92nd minute Adam Idah penalty to edge out a crucial 2-1 win on our next visit in early 2024. His double that night not only propelled Celtic ahead in the title race, it also silenced the “Rodgers can’t win at Easter Road” brigade, at least for a while.
Hoodoo Gone, But Threat Remains
This season, indicative of the repetitive nature of Scottish football we have played Hibs 3 times already. Twice at home and once away. In all three matches, two in the league, one in the league cup, Celtic have won convincingly.
The Hibee Hoodoo seems to have been thoroughly put to bed.
This Hibs team still poses a threat though and should not be underestimated. Unbeaten in their last 5 games, they’ve climbed to 5th in the table. A vast improvement on an indifferent start to the season.
Hibs Gaffer Confident Despite Injury Concerns
Hibs head coach David Gray was in bullish mood at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
He said: “These are the kinds of games as players you really want to play.” It’ll be difficult, but we know that. Our full focus is on trying to get the three points.”
Gray faces some selection headaches however, particularly in midfield. Not only does he have a number of first team regulars missing, but Celtic loanee Kwon Hyeok-Kyu is ineligible to face his parent club.
Hibs main threat will, once again come from their Australian number 10 Martin Boyle. With 7 goals he is the club’s top scorer this season, and has proven a thorn in the side of both Celtic and Rangers in recent times.
Celtic Ready to Go Again
As for Celtic, Brendan Rodgers confirmed that despite a mentally draining Champions League exit in Munich in mid-week, the squad is in good shape.
James Forrest continues to make good progress on his long road back to full fitness but today’s game comes just a little too soon for him. Paulo Bernardo also remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
Possible Changes in Defence, Midfield
One possible question for the starting line up is left-back. Jeffrey Schlupp continues to impress and was a stand-out against Bayern on Tuesday. However, Greg Taylor has been our first choice for most of the season.
Fan sentiment leans towards Schlupp, with Taylor seemingly nearing the exit as his contract runs down. However, that won’t influence Brendan Rodgers choice. He has heaped praise on both players in recent weeks. Nevertheless, I think he’ll go with Schlupp.
There is also the potential for Luke McCowan to start in midfield with both Arne Engels and Reo Hatate running themselves into the ground against Bayern.
Up front, it will probably be the usual suspects of Kuhn on the right, Daizen on the left and Idah through the middle. Expect Jota to make an appearance at some point.
Summary
Venue: Easter Road, Edinburgh
Kick Off: 12:30 CPT (Celtic Park Time)
Liam's Prediction: Celtic to win 3-0, Daizen Maeda to score first.
We’ll have an in-depth match report up on the site later. You can also enjoy ACSOM’s live pre and post-match coverage starting from 12pm. In the meantime, wherever you are, enjoy the game and Hail Hail!