Celtic will face off against Irish side Shamrock Rovers in their final pre-season game before beginning their quest to reach the Champions League group stage.
The Hoops returned from the pre-season tour of Austria earlier this week and will be hoping to sharpen their fitness and build crucial momentum ahead of the first leg of their qualifiers against Armenian club Alashkert.
The Scottish champions played the Irish club in a friendly encounter last summer as well, trouncing them 9-0 on that occasion. And manager Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his side repeats the performance this time as well.
And here’s how the Celtic XI might look like when they take the field against Shamrock Rovers.
The former Dundee FC man is likely to replace Craig Gordon between the sticks in Dublin, after not starting against Sparta Prague in the previous game.
With Mikael Lustig and Cristian Gamboa both unavailable, the 19-year-old Anthony Ralston should get another run-out as the right-back ahead of Jack Hendry.
The Bosnian centre-half had a couple of dodgy moments in the win over Sparta Prague and will be hoping to get into the groove before the all-important qualifier.
Having spent most of his first six months at the club out on the sidelines, the German defender will be looking at the pre-season as his ticket to get into the first-team reckoning at the Parkhead.
Despite the rumours of his transfer to Everton, Kieran Tierney should start once again as the left-back for the Hoops against Shamrock Rovers.
The club captain should start for the Hoops in the middle of the park and look to provide the tenacity and solidity, allowing the attack-minded players to prosper.
The former Manchester City midfielder will be hoping to build upon what was a solid debut campaign last time out, by kicking things off in a strong fashion ahead of the new season.
The Scottish international was deadly against Sparta in the previous game and should be retained on the right flank by Rodgers.
Another player who was extremely influential in the win over the Czech Republic outfit, Callum McGregor’s form will be important for Celtic as they prepare for the Champions League qualifiers.
The 29-year-old Englishman scored in the 2-1 friendly win over BW Linz and has shown positive signs so far in the pre-season. Will be hoping to get into his rhythm before the season takes off.
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The French striker scored the only goal against Sparta in his first pre-season appearance and will be hoping to build on that against the Shamrock Rovers.
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