NEIL LENNON has named a provisional Celtic squad of 21 players before tomorrow afternoon’s Betfred League Cup Final at Hampden.
Odsonne Edouard and Mohamed Elyounoussi, who have missed the last three games, are both involved as the Hoops boss prepares for the clash with Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox outfit.
The flamboyant French attack-leader, two-goal hero when the Hoops beat Hearts 2-1 to lift the Scottish Cup at the national stadium on May 25, has sat out the wins over Rennes (2-0), Ross County (4-1) and Hamilton Accies (2-1), but Lennon believes he has a great chance of making the silverware showdown.
And it was the £9million striker who got the ball rolling in the side’s 2-0 win at Ibrox on September 1 when he scored a nonchalant opening goal with a typical excellent finish.
GOLDEN BHOY…Odsonne Edouard clips the ball over Hearts keeper Bobby Zamal for the Scottish Cup winner in May.
On-loan Southampton forward Elyounoussi, who was Man of the Match in the 5-2 win over Hibs in the semi-final, has been working well in training during the week and has done enough to get a place in the pool of players as the champions look for their TENTH successive domestic honour.
Christopher Jullien and Tom Rogic, who were rested for the last-gasp victory over Accies in midweek, are included and certain to play a part of tomorrow’s high-octane meeting.
Boli Bolingoli and Jonny Hayes have been declared fit, but Greg Taylor, who has played in the last three matches, is Cup-tied after playing in the competition at an earlier stage before his £2.25million switch from Kilmarnock on transfer deadline day.
There is likely to be a change in the right-back berth, too, with Jeremie Frimpong replacing Moritz Bauer.
Provisional squad: Forster, Frimpong, Bauer, Bolingoli, Hayes, Ajer, Jullien, Rogic, Bitton, Brown, McGregor, Ntcham, Forrest, Elyounoussi, Johnston, Griffiths, Edouard, Christie, Morgan, Sinclair and Gordon.
