Celtic starting XI to face Dortmund revealed as Reo Hatate decision made and Auston Trusty gets Champions League nod
Brendan Rodgers has named his Celtic team to face Borussia Dortmund with Paulo Bernardo preferred to Reo Hatate.
The Hoops have competition for places in the middle of the park with skipper Callum McGregor and Arne Engels getting the nod alongside the former Benfica man. Bernardo - on target in the 6-0 win in Perth against St Johnstone - retains his place with team-mate Hatate having to settle for a place on the bench once again alongside former Dundee midfielder Luke McCowan. At the back, the Scottish champions are without Cameron Carter-Vickers, but after impressing at McDiarmid Park, Auston Trusty gets a third start on the trot alongside Liam Scales at Signal Iduna Park.
Celtic put on a five-star show on matchday one of the Champions League to dump Slovan Bratislava at Parkhead, but this match brings a much tougher test for the Hoops in terms of standard and quality, but it is one Rodgers and his troops are buzzing for. Speaking in the build-up to this one, he said: "Clearly we’re very excited. We got off to a great start in the first Champions League match, and now we’ve come here to a stadium which is like Celtic Park, it breathes football.
“We’re looking to bring our game to the next level. We’re under no illusions that we’re against a team that are competing at the very top end of elite football. For us, tomorrow, we play for the dreams of the supporters and we’ll be playing for ourselves, to go and enjoy this experience.
“Whether it’s domestically or in Europe, we want to make ourselves a very difficult team to play against with and without the ball. It’s a wonderful arena, and we embrace these big games, so let’s see where it takes us.”
CELTIC XI: Schmeichel, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Engels, Bernardo, Kuhn, Maeda, Kyogo
Subs: Sinisalo, Bain, Palma, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Nawrocki, Hatate, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh.