KASPER SCHMEICHEL CELTIC BOOST AHEAD OF TRIP TO PERTH
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Kasper Schmeichel surprised us all when he appeared at Celtic’s training session this week. Brendan Rodgers jokingly explained: “Well, he’s not hurt his feet has he?”
However, the lack of any apparent strapping on Schmeichel’s injured shoulder as he took part in a game of keepy-uppy with his fellow goalkeepers may indicate that the 38-year-old's return could be a bit earlier than the original forecast of 5-6 weeks.
Kasper Schmeichel Only Confirmed Absentee as Celtic Head North
Nevertheless, Viljami Sinisalo will certainly start for Celtic again in goal for Sunday’s trip to St Johnstone.
Questions remain about the match fitness of Auston Trusty, who was an unused substitute in last weekend’s comfortable win over Hearts.
Likewise, Liam Scales is back in full training after recovering from a facial injury picked up at St. Mirren last month. However, Sunday’s game may be a little too soon for him.
Even if both players are fit, they’ll have a hard time displacing forgotten man Maik Nawrocki. The Polish defender has turned in solid back-to-back performances since being drafted into the team for the recent Glasgow Derby.
Questions remain about his long-term Celtic future, but he’s definitely given the manager something to think about. Dropping a player in his current vein of form would be quite a ruthless decision.
However, Nawrocki would be the natural choice to make way if either Scales or Trusty are given the nod to start.
Elsewhere, I expect to see pretty much the same line up as that which brushed Hearts aside so convincingly last week.
Celtic can also count on massive backing from a huge travelling support. Until recently, it seemed possible that Celtic could win the league at McDiarmid Park. So, we’ll have three of the four stands packed out with our own supporters on Sunday.
You have to say, credit to St. Johnstone for doing the right thing and making their, ordinarily, mostly empty stands available to Celtic fans for this fixture.
We could be cynical and say it’s a last-ditch attempt to cash in before their, seemingly inevitable relegation, but I’m willing to give the Perth side the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Indeed, that relegation dogfight can often bring out the best in an underachieving side, so Celtic will need to be careful with this one.
I expect a comfortable win in the end, but St Johnstone are fighting for their right to remain in the top flight, and cannot be underestimated.
Probable Starting Line-up: Sinisalo, Schlupp, Nawrocki, Carter-Vickers, Johnston, Engels, Hatate, McGregor, Kuhn, Jota, Maeda.
Prediction: Celtic to win 3-0, Jota to score first