Celtic were suffering from a European hangover as they stumbled to a scoreless draw at Easter Road against Hibernian at the weekend.
The hard work and effort that had gone into securing a draw with Atlético Madrid at Celtic Park in the Champions League mid-week had clearly taken its toll. The Celtic side looked uncharacteristically tired and leggy in a game that really highlighted the lack of depth at Brendan Rodgers’ disposal, especially in the forward areas.
Celtic will be eager to bounce back tonight as St Mirren make the trip to Parkhead to take on the Hoops.
Rodgers will be looking for a dominant display against the Buddies who will be no pushovers, with Stephen Robinson’s side currently sitting 3rd in the cinch Premiership table, with their only defeat of the season coming against Rangers in Paisley.
GK – Joe Hart (Hibs match rating – 6):
The English stopper was relatively untested against Hibs at the weekend, but will have to be more alert against St Mirren, who are the third-highest scoring team in the division.
RB – Alistair Johnston (Hibs match rating – 5):
Johnston’s involvement in the match against Hibs came to a close after just 25 minutes after he was substituted, with the club following the concussion protocols. The injury came after he was on the receiving end of Rocky Bushiri’s clearance, with Rodgers confirming post-match that it was just a precaution, and Johnston has since been spotted in training and is available for tonight’s fixture.
CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers (Hibs match rating – 6):
The American international was his usual self at the weekend against Hibs, sweeping up everything the opposition threw at him during the Easter Road stalemate. A similarly solid performance from the centre-half is expected tonight.
CB – Liam Scales (Hibs match rating – 7):
Scales is continuing to show his quality as the weeks go by whilst improving with every passing game. His forward passing is great with his left-foot, and this could prove to be key in helping the team break down a resolute St Mirren side.
LB – Greg Taylor (Hibs match rating – 6):
Taylor was showing the initiative to get forward and make something happen at the weekend but he was let down by the forward line. He has been consistently improving domestically and will be looking to carry over that form against St Mirren.
CM – Callum McGregor (Hibs match rating – 6):
McGregor came close to opening the scoring at the weekend, after pouncing upon a slack moment in the Hibs defence, but David Marshall was on hand to deny the skipper. Much like O’Riley he was working his hardest to make something happen at Easter Road to no avail.
The captain will be looking to patrol the midfield whilst also galvanising the team to bounce back from Saturday’s dropped points.
CM – Paulo Bernardo (Hibs match rating – 6):
Stepping into the fold in place of the injured Reo Hatate, the Portuguese midfielder passed up a few big opportunities in both halves against Hibs, but his overall display was solid enough to warrant a start in tonight’s fixture.
Bernardo has shown some decent qualities since deputising in place of Hatate, and he will be looking to stamp his authority on that position in the Japanese international’s absence.
CM – Matt O’Riley (Hibs match rating – 6):
There was a lot more emphasis on the Dane being the chance creator in the Celtic team at the weekend with Reo Hatate out injured, but he was unable to conjure up any magic to unlock the Hibs defense despite his best efforts.
Although two points were dropped at the weekend, O’Riley was one of the few players on the park who was clearly working hard to make something happen. He will be expected to continue his form in what has been an incredible start to the season for the 22-year-old.
RW – Daizen Maeda (Hibs match rating – 5):
Maeda was unusually quiet at Easter Road, and was perhaps feeling the effects from his mid-week exertions. The winger passed up the best opportunity of the game just before the break and was replaced on the hour mark.
Despite that below-par perfromance, with a few more days off, Maeda should be back to his brilliant, relentless best against the Buddies.
ST – Kyogo Furuhashi (Hibs match rating – 5):
Kyogo had a quiet game against Hibs and, although he was starved of service from his wide-men, he was failing to create the space for himself that he usually does, which is understandable given the amount of running he did against Atletico Madrid last week. A goal would be the perfect way to bounce back for the 28-year-old.
LW – Luis Palma (Hibs match rating – 5):
Palma had an erratic performance at Easter Road, snatching at a couple of wayward efforts in the first-half, but he has had a red-hot start to life at Celtic and has been scoring consistently. Much like Kyogo, getting on the scoresheet tomorrow evening would be the perfect way for the Honduran to bounce back.
Potential Substitutes:
Anthony Ralston (Hibs match rating – 6): Ralston was a solid and safe option against Hibs after replacing the injured Johnston after 25 minutes.
James Forrest (Hibs match rating – 5): Replaced Maeda with half-an-hour to go at the weekend and passed up a massive opportunity, striking the crossbar late on. Jamesy did, however, cause far more problems for the Hibs backline than those that preceded him.
David Turnbull (Hibs match rating – 5): Turnbull seemed like a smart substitution from Rodgers against Hibs, as the home side’s backline was looking tricky to break down, but he didn’t offer much going forward.
Oh Hyeon-gyu (Hibs match rating – 4): The South Korean couldn’t make much of an impact against Hibs after replacing Kyogo from the bench.
Mikey Johnston (Hibs match rating – 4): The Irish international made his first Celtic appearance of the season at the weekend but couldn’t create much against a tight Hibs defence.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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