Celtic will play against Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Thursday evening in the UEFA Europa League group phase.
After a tough period under temporary manager Wilfried Nancy, where the team lost six out of eight matches, Celtic has seen improvement since Martin O’Neill returned as head coach on January 5. Under his leadership, they have recorded three consecutive victories, including a 4-0 win over Dundee United and a 2-0 triumph against Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup, despite making ten changes to the lineup.
Despite this positive trend, Celtic’s performance in the Europa League still needs to match their league form. The team is currently 24th in the group standings, with just seven points from six games, narrowly ahead of Dinamo Zagreb in 25th place on goal difference. They must avoid further mistakes in their remaining two matches to secure a top 24 finish.
Celtic team news
Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand, and Cameron Carter-Vickers are still out injured, with Johnston aiming to return in March. Portuguese winger Jota is out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury, and both Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi are also unavailable.
With rotation not an option for this crucial match, Celtic is expected to use nearly their strongest squad. Kasper Schmeichel is likely to return as goalkeeper, protected by a defense featuring Julian Araujo, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, and Kieran Tierney.
In the attack, Sebastian Tounekti, Hyun-Jun Yang, and Daizen Maeda are expected to start after being rested during the recent cup match.
Celtic predicted lineup
Possible Celtic starting XI: Schmeichel; Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Yang, Maeda, Tounekti.
When will the match kick off?
The match is scheduled to start at 5:45 PM BST on Wednesday, January 21.
How to watch Bologna vs Celtic?
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2.
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