Celtic squad revealed as Arne Engels set for chance on big stage in Hampden battle of the Belgians
Brendan Rodgers won’t be sweating on many decisions when picking his Celtic XI in his bid to land the only domestic trophy to elude him last season.
With Alistair Johnston having shrugged off the injury that forced him off at half-time off the goalless Champions League draw against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, the Hoops boss has a full squad to choose from. And when everyone has been fit and available this season, the top Celtic XI has pretty much picked itself. That’s the line up which started the stunning home win over RB Leipzig in Europe and likely means Arne Engels will again get the nod over Paulo Bernardo in the Hoops engine room.
The Engels/Bernardo debate is one of the few when discussing Celtic’s best line up this season. Greg Taylor and Alex Valle in the left back position is arguably another, but the Scotland star’s experience, particularly in games against Rangers and at Hampden, will likely see him start the Premier Sports Cup final.
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But Celtic didn’t splash out a club record £11million fee on Engels for him to sit on the bench for a showpiece occasion. And that would see the Belgian come up against compatriot Nico Raskin, at 23 a couple of years older than his rival, who earned plenty of plaudits for his performance in Rangers’ Europa League draw against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. Here Record Sport predicts the Celtic XI.
Predicted Celtic XI
Provisional Celtic squad
Goalkeepers
Kasper Schmeichel
Viljami Sinisalo
Scott Bain
Defenders
Alistair Johnston
Anthony Ralston
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Liam Scales
Auston Trusty
Maik Nawrocki
Stephen Welsh
Greg Taylor
Alex Valle
Midfielders
Paulo Bernardo
Arne Engels
Reo Hatate
Odin Thiago Holm
Callum McGregor
Luke McCowan
Luis Palma
Yang Hyun-Jun
James Forrest
Nicolas Kuhn
Forwards
Kyogo Furuhashi
Daizen Maeda
Adam Idah
