Celtic will attempt to continue their total dominance on top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday when they visit McDiarmid Park to clash with St. Johnstone in the 24th round of fixtures for the season.
It’s the 3rd time both sides will be the meeting – their 2nd at McDiarmid Park in the first phase of the campaign, and Celtic will hope to make it 3 wins out of 3 having won 4-2 in August and 1-nil at Parkhead last Wednesday.
The Bhoys lead 2nd placed Rangers with 25 points having won 22 games and drawn just 1 league game thus far in a continuous record-setting domestic form that has seen them go 28 matches unbeaten.
With an injury-stricken squad and just a few games away from sealing the league title, here is a predicted starting XI Brendan Rodgers could deploy against the Saints.
Formation : 4-2-3-1
GK – Gordon
Has already put the strong Chelsea switch links behind him to remain at Parkhead, and after having almost nothing to do against Aberdeen on Wednesday, he would have to be in fine form to prevent Sunday’s host from scoring.
LB – Tierney
He was deployed in an experimental left wingback role at midweek but would likely be returned to the defence as Rodgers reverts to his favourite formation.
CB – Simunovic
The young Croatian has been a mainstay in the defence setup of recent and should be making his 15th start of the season against the Saints.
CB – Boyata
Came out of nowhere to establish himself in the lineup, and has made 3 league appearances of all his 4 thus far this year, scoring twice in the process – both winners, with his first coming against Sunday’s opponents.
RB – Lustig
There is Gamboa to contend with for the Swede’s starting berth of recent, and one of them will likely get the nod on Sunday, with the former looking like a favourite.
CM – Nir Bitton
Despite looking like his starting shirt under threat, the Israeli midfielder continues to impress in the heart of Celtic’s midfield alongside the team’s skipper, and that could still be the case on Sunday.
CM – Scott Brown
Remains one of Hoops most reliable performers, and he continues to rack up the appearances every other game due to what he brings to the table.
AML – Scott Sinclair
With the likes of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths still out, Rodgers will look up to one of his best attackers in the English forward to help his side to a 19th straight win as the club pursues Martin O’Neill’s side’s British record of 25 consecutive league wins.
AMC – McGregor
Continues to make most of Armstrong’s injuries and would be getting another chance on Sunday as the first choice attains full fitness.
AMR – James Forrest
Another start on the right flank awaits the Scotland international forward.
CF – Patrick Roberts
The Manchester City youngster is enjoying his loan term at Celtic, and having been deployed through the middle the last time out, he could continue there on Sunday.