SCOTT BAIN will face Sparta Prague in the Europa League Group H encounter at Parkhead tonight – with £4.5million Vasilis Barkas again on the bench.
Neil Lennon will keep faith with the keeper who has played the last three games against Aberdeen, in the league and Scottish Cup, and Lille in France last week.
Bain was number three in the pecking order last season behind Fraser Forster and Craig Gordon, but after their summer departures he moved up as anticipated stand-by to Barkas, with the AEK Athens Greek international being signed for a record fee for a Hoops netminder.
However, the new Bhoy has been far from convincing and looked slow to react to efforts in the defeats against Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox team and AC Milan in back-to-back matches in the east end of Glasgow last month.
Bain got the nod to face the Dons in the 3-3 draw at Pittodrie, kept his place in the 2-2 deadlock in Lille and had the team’s first shut-out in five games in the 2-0 Scottish Cup semi-final win over Derek McInnes’ men at Hampden on Sunday.
Lennon, speaking to BT Sport, said: “He’s played in the team in the last few games, has played very well and I don’t see any reason to change that at the minute.
“We kept a clean sheet in the semi-final and he was very good, very reassuring.
“So, Scott has done nothing to warrant being left out. That may change as the season goes on, but at the moment I am quite happy to go with Scott because he is playing very well.”
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Sparta Prague this evening – only in your champion CQN.
