CELTIC are aiming to maintain their 100 percent Premiership record in their seventh outing against St Mirren in tomorrow’s noon kick-off in Paisley.
The last time Ange Postecoglou took his team to the venue they fired blanks in a scoreless stalemate.
That shot-shy performance was on the Wednesday evening of December 22 – just three days after Kyogo Furuhashi’s double salvo had handed the Greek-Australian his first piece of silverware as Hoops gaffer with the Premier Sports League Cup heading for Parkhead following a dramatic 2-1 comeback triumph over Hibs.
AIRBORNE…Liel Abada takes to the air in an unsuccessful attemot to connect with a cross with St Mirren keeper Dean Lyness relieved in last season’s goalless draw in Paisley.
However, the Hoops were without their Japanese talisman, who had sustained a hamstring problem at Hampden, against the Saints as they toiled to get the ball past stand-in keeper Dean Lyness. Giorgos Giakoumakis was also out through injury.
It was a frustrating confrontation for Postecoglou’s men as they completed an uninspired display SIX points adrift of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Premiership leaders.
This season, the champions have scored 25 goals in their previous six league matches.
They have also fired in four in the Premier Sports League folowing the 4-1 victory over Ross County in Dingwall at the end of last month.
TOUCH AND GO…stand-in keeper Dean Lyness pushes a free-kick from Nir Bitton round his post as St Mirren survive another scare in December last year.
There has been only one goalless outing this time around – against European champions Real Madrid in the 3-0 loss at Parkhead 11 days ago. Surely Kyogo and Co are not about to allow Stephen Robinson’s side to join the exalted company of Carlo Ancelotti’s king pins!
Interestingly, six of the 14 players who performed in Paisley nine months ago will not be available for tomorrow’s encounter.
Tom Rogic (West Brom), Nir Bitton (Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Owen Moffat (Blackpool) have moved out on a permanent basis while Liam Scales (Aberdeen), Liam Shaw (Morecambe) and Mikey Johnston (Vitoria Guimaraes) are on loans.
The team was: Bain; Ralston, Welsh, Carter-Vickers, Scales (sub: Taylor 89); Bitton (sub: Shaw 81), Rogic, McGregor; Moffat (sub: Juranovic 61), Abada and Johnston.
