RYAN CHRISTIE is poised to return to the Celtic midfield for the crucial Scottish Cup quarter-final against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park tomorrow.
The Scotland international playmaker missed the side’s unexpected Europa League exit against FC Copenhagen on Thursday through suspension.
But Neil Lennon is ready to hand Christie a start against the Perth outfit where the player had some success on Flag Day in August when he fired in a superb hat-trick in the 7-0 victory to get the quest for nine in a row off to a perfect start.
The Hoops struggled in the engine room against the Danes where they lacked creativity with Tom Rogic making a rrare first-team start of 2020.
Christie is set to step in, but French ace Olivier Ntcham, who got the opening goal when the champions won 3-0 against Tommy Wright’s team last month, is still out with a calf strain.
Israeli international defender Hatem Abd Elhamed hasn’t been included in Lennon’s provisional squad, according to the Daily Record.
There is no sign, either, of £2million Ivorian anchorman Ismaili Soro who is still awaiting his first-team debut after his arrival last month.
PROVISIONAL SQUAD: Forster, Frimpong, Bauer, Hayes, Ajer, Bolingoli, Simunovic, Taylor, Jullien Bitton, Brown, McGregor, Rogic, Christie, Forrest, Elyounoussi, Edouard, Klimala, Griffiths, Gordon and Bain.
