The pressure is mounting on Ronny Deila as he looks to get Celtic back to winning ways, the shock 2-1 loss at home to Motherwell would have stung and Celtic could well be going into their next game against Hearts in second place if Aberdeen win their game on the weekend.
Celtic fans haven’t been pleased with the recent performance of the Hoops and have voiced their frustration at Deila as to how the team has regressed under the Norwegian but they have done well in recent away games in the league.
The Hoops also have a great record against Hearts having won four and drawn one of the last five games, while Hearts have only scored once against their opponents in the last five games. Celtic will be looking to hit back away from the pressure of playing at home and with a need to win and keep the challenge going for the Scottish Premiership, the Celtic players could well be looking to make a statement.
Here is the predicted lineup for the crunch game at Tynecastle stadium for the Hoops.
Craig Gordon
The Celtic goalkeeper couldn’t really do much to keep the two goals he conceded against Motherwell out and should continue in goal for the Hoops in this interesting tie.
Mikael Lustig
Lustig did well in the game against Motherwell and should continue as the right-back for the team.
Dedryck Boyata
The central defender didn’t really cover himself with glory when trying to keep the opposition away. Boyata still has a long way to go before he can convince people that he is a top defender.
Jozo Simunovic
Celtic really don’t have better options for their centre-back pairing and Simunovic would start even after having a poor game against Motherwell.
Kieran Tierney
Tierney would start as the left-back for Celtic; he was impressive in the first half in the last game and would expect to continue that form in this away game.
Nir Bitton
The Israeli was one of the players who did well against Motherwell and even got the first goal. Celtic will be hopeful that he can score again this time against Hearts and stave off some tension and pressure.
Callum McGregor
The midfielder was the one who did all the passing and controlled the tempo for Celtic in the first half but he couldn’t replicate that in the second half but will expect to start for the Hoops this time around.
Kris Commons
Commons was one of the biggest threats in the last game and will hope that he can carry on in this game as well.
Tom Rogic
The Australian was another bright spark for Celtic but as has been for his time at the club, he faded away after the first half. He needs to improve his consistency and could hopefully do that from this game onwards.
Scott Allan
Was brought on as a replacement in the second half and with him staying at the club and not going away on loan, it is time for him to start a game under Deila.
Leigh Griffiths
Ciftci was poor in the game against Motherwell and he could well be replaced by Griffiths who should be fit enough to play this weekend.
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