Celtic will be looking to bounce back from a European humbling this afternoon when they welcome the visit of Aberdeen to Parkhead.
After such a heavy defeat, fans will be expecting a positive reaction from the team and the manager, whether that be a change in personnel on the park or a return to the high performance levels that had already been set since Brendan Rodgers returned to the helm.
Celtic have already beaten the Dons this season as the pair faced off at Pittodrie on matchday 2, a game in which the Hoops ran out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi and Matt O’Riley. Will it be a similar outcome today?
Here is A Celtic State of Mind’s team predictions for this afternoon’s encounter:
GK – Joe Hart
The English stopper was pretty helpless on Tuesday evening as he saw six goals fly past him in Madrid. He has been relatively untested domestically over the last few weeks, not even having to make a save in Dingwall last weekend, and will be hoping for a similarly quiet game at Celtic Park this afternoon.
RB – Alistair Johnston
Johnston looked out of his depth for the first time in a Celtic shirt against Atlético Madrid as he was turned inside out by Rodrigo Riquelme time and time again. Aberdeen possess players to cause Celtic some problems, so Johnston will need to remain alert this weekend.
CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers
The American had a tough time of it against Spanish giants Atleti, but no one in the team covered themselves in glory following that results and the aim for Carter-Vickers will be to bounce back against Aberdeen.
CB – Liam Scales
Scales had his first poor performance of the season against Atlético Madrid, but as previously mentioned, no one had a good game. There will be no better way for the Irishman to come back from that result than by putting in a good display against his former side.
LB – Greg Taylor
Taylor was ran ragged for the entire 90 minutes by full-back Nahuel Molina, but has found his level domestically and will be looking to return to form against the Dons.
CM – Callum McGregor
The skipper’s poor clearance ensured Celtic got off to the worst possible start after just six minutes against Atleti, and after performing poorly in the first meeting between Celtic and the Dons earlier in the season, McGregor will be looking to right that wrong by commanding his team and helping raise spirits following a disheartening Champions League defeat.
CM – Matt O’Riley
O’Riley was hooked at half-time against Atleti, narrowly avoiding the onslaught that would follow in the second-half. He was called up to the Denmark senior squad again this week and will be eager to get his first cap, but before that he will need to put in a good performance against Aberdeen to have his name firmly in the hat for a cap during the international break.
CM – David Turnbull
Turnbull could return to the team after a pair of good performances in the league last week against Ross County and St Mirren. He scored a couple of stunning goals across both fixtures and will be looking to make it three goals in consecutive games if he gets a start.
RW – Yang Hyun-jun
With Daizen Maeda out injured for the next six weeks, Yang will be expected to take the reins at right-wing once again, and after an impressive display from the offing last Sunday, building upon that against Barry Robson’s side would further establish his place in this Celtic team.
ST – Kyogo Furuhashi
Kyogo was starved of service against Atleti, and after failing to score in his last three appearances in the Scottish Premiership, getting back in amongst the goals ahead of the international break will be at the top of his agenda.
LW – Luis Palma
The Honduran received a booking for dissent on Tuesday evening which ensured he would miss the trip to Rome to face Lazio due to accumulating too many bookings. That means the pressure will be on his domestic performances to continue to develop his game, and the early indicators show that he is taking to the Scottish Premiership like a duck to water.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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