Events in the final international break of the season went in our favour. Callum McGregor, Greg Taylor and Josip Juranovic were all rested. Reo Hatate played his first 45 minutes football in a stress-free match against Vietnam, while Matt O’Riley had 20 minutes action for Denmark U21s. Celtic players will return from international duty injury-free and sufficiently rested ahead of Sunday.
By comparison, Newco’s three Nigerian internationals were involved in an exhausting home draw with Ghana which was not enough to see them eliminated from the World Cup. You and I know that these things can be overcome, but we also know Newco like an excuse to fail. Now they have one readymade.
Whether they play Alfredo Morelos, who is carrying an injury, or leave him out, the Columbian’s condition gives them an additional excuse to fail. This comes a week after they accused a group of fans of undermining their domestic and European challenges. Give a team an excuse to fail and they will take it. Maybe Newco know what to expect on Sunday.
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God I hope you’re right ! C’mon the Celts !
Bring on the Rangers ☘️
I don’t know that their innate feelings of entitlement and supremacy are compatible with excuses to fail .
If we beat them on Sunday there will be armageddhun .
COYBIG
Get into The Rangers
D :)
MADMITCH on 30TH MARCH 2022 11:41 AM
Why did Dermot Desmond pay Peter Lawwell such a high wage?
CARPETCRAWLER on 30TH MARCH 2022 12:02 PM
God I hope you’re right !
We share the same aspiration, CC :-))
I am seldom confident of victory when we play the Ibrox Club but I am just beginning to feel a wee bit less worried. For me, Aribo and Kent are their two best players but I get the feeling neither is particularly happy at that Club.
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Fail to plan?
Hot Smoked,
I think it was you yesterday who mentioned the old “the form book goes out the window” quote for these games.
I agree, it doesn’t.
Of course there will be upsets in the game, and perhaps more so than in any other game, but the form is generally a good indicator of who will win.
That in my eyes makes us the favourites, with only their European results giving them a chance on the pitch, and the home advantage giving up them the advantage off it,
Let’s hope we can score early and shut them up.
Off out on my bike. Will catch up later 👍🏼
The Lying King will have a statement out within two hours if we do the business on Sunday – they’ll eat each other and it will divide the support just in time for season ticket renewals.
Before that happens, we have to beat them. I’d be happy with a draw but the game is there for us, it’s an excellent opportunity to win the league.
Their injury woes are something I just ignore. It’s almost certainly BS. Ange will have us focused.
Massive big build-up to the massive big game against our massive big rivals, massive big It’s-Definitely-Not-Rangers.
Massive.
Big.
Massively big.
Biggly massive.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 30TH MARCH 2022 12:33 PM
After that post you should change your name to BigSteinGlassOverFilled :-))
Morelos, Ramsey and Jack all carrying injuries. All likely to play at some point on Sunday.
Aribo looked a pale shadow of the player he can be last night and in the last few weeks as his form dropped off a cliff. Lots of excuses in the mixer.
I expect them to contain and try and hit us on the break. I expect us not to have our full backs storming up the park as much and being mindful of the turnover.
Feels like a game of small margins. Will their keeper put in a worldie or look every day his age? Will our defence hold up to a bombardment of balls into the box ? Will playing from the back result in a goal either side?
I fancy a 2-0 to us, with the 2nd coming late in the game as they push up the park and get caught by us a la Hayes a couple of years ago…
Glad the internationals out of the way and we came through unscathed. Now unleash Kyogo into the mix !
HH
If/ when we score on Sunday, we will see the reason they wanted to play behind closed doors.
Glasstwothirdsfull,
We’re playing our rivals to the league title in a game that could go a long way to deciding the title this season, we all thought was out of our reach.
I’ll be as excited about the games afterwards as we edge closer but surely this one feels bigger given the stakes.
HH
HS @ 12.10
PL’s big wage — number of reasons.
Pals on the Remuneration Committee.
DD’s way of fully aligning the operational management with his concerns.
Keeping any uppity manager under control.
Making sure that BR was not the highest paid employee of the club.
Do you need anymore or is that enough?
Football success is not paramount at P/head.
Generating a good payday for DD is the main event.
Issue now is that even DD knows that it is looking unlikely.
However every global disaster / pandemic / conflict offers hope that at long last the EPL will have to go through a shake-up and offer a place to the club and its Govan hanger on.
I keep hoping that someone will answer the “Fridge-phone” and buy DD out.
Could get messy as DD owns more than 30% of the shares.
BB 12.42pm
You are exactly right mate. We score the first goal then the hordes unleash their poisonous venom onto their “favourites.”
HS @ 12.10
PL’s big wages …
He is good at playing the wage game.
He is good at PR / building himself up — SSM indeed / Slaters remnant rack and needed dry cleaned.
His wife certainly doesn’t dress him.
He has a good agent / connections to keep DD on his toes.
Never complained — just asked how high when DD shouted jump.
Good at working a low energy board who turned up for the free tickets.
Hart
Juranovic CCV Starfelt Taylor
Hatate McGregor Rogic
Abada Giakoumakis Jota
The above seems to be close to the general consensus re Sunday`s line-up.
When we then consider the composition of the bench, the reasons for my decreasing worries become more clear !
MM
TFTR
Ibrox is an intimidating venue when their team and support are up for it which they will be. They have beaten some excellent European teams there by starting at full pelt.
Not many of our likely starting XI have experienced a win there.
We need to go in to the game with an absolute focus and determination. I would be amazed if they do not score 1-2 goals from corners. Their CHs are excellent at timing their runs at corners and it is our weakness.
I’d happily take 2-2.
HS @ 12.51
TFTR — Is he the Portuguese U21 LB we are tracking?
MM
NO
Big Wavy 12:43
I suppose it would be a boring place if we all saw things the same way!
I just see it as three points if we win – same as we get for beating Ross County or St Mirren.
I was actually trying to remember when the last time the head-to-heads between the top two were decisive in a league title win and I couldn’t think of any since 96-97 (that’s purely off the top of my head though – haven’t actually checked the records).
HS- Maeda for Abada for me,he won’t give them a second, and will peg back Tav-Pen…..
Never optimistic going to Ibrox
They havent dropped many points there over the last couple of seasons
they havent conceded many goals there over the last couple of seasons (domestically)
We have lost on our last few visits
They need to win more than us
All of these factors make Sundays game a very difficult assignment
Even more difficult without Liam Scales …….
Ange Out
Hot Smoked,
O’Riley for Rogic (who may still be carrying a knock anyway)…more legs and better tackler.
Maeda for Abada as we need to do a number on Tav (pen) and keep him pinned back. Their midfield will be there to contain us (Lundstrum and Jack don’t have a creative bone in their bodies). Wee Daizen will terrorise him and lead to a comedy goal involving McGregor playing it out….
HH
Big Wavy…I don’t believe they will try to contain us and hit on the break. I think Van B will want to get their support on side from the start and therefore will try and take the game to us. That could be their downfall if we get the early goal which we are very capable of doing. Then the roof could come down on them. It would be interesting to see how they react if the hordes turn on them. Wishful thinking on my part? Maybe, but bring it on anyway…
Stomach going already and its only Wednesday!!….I think ange might be tempted to go for height and experience with Bitton especially with rogic struggling push calmac forward
Hart, J J, CCV, Starfelt, Taylor
Hatate/o Riley Bitton McGregor, Jota , GG , Meada…….can’t make my mind up regarding…Hatate or O Riley……Hatate might scare them but O Riley oozes class….hard call
Glasstwothirdsfull
Did the games with rangers not impact 2007/8 outcome ?
Here’s hoping.
These little cameos and individual dynamics help shine a light.
IMHO, when it comes down to it?
The team unit that is
– better prepared before the game ?
– clicks first during the game ?
– stays more disciplined ?
– trusts its system more ?
… will win the game.
Don’t think I’ve done one of these before so here’s our 9 on the bench for Sunday..
1 keeper
3 defenders
1 forward
2 midfielders
2 wingers
Scales
Ideguchi
Rogic
Bain
Abada
Forrest
Ralston
Julien
Kyogo
HH
The runners need to play on Sunday and the squad needs to be used to the best effect.
Maeda and O’Riley from the start. Replace them 65/70 minutes in. Change another midfielder and if Kyogo us fit take Giako off for the last 15 amd run the newco players into the ground.
The biggest factor of all is how we handle the atmosphere. Newco crapped it at our place. We can’t allow that to happen. I don’t believe Ange will allow it. It is also in daylight, no flashy lights to hype it up and any pyro loses full effect in the daylight. Iborcs just isn’t as intimidating as Paradise in my opinion. We’ve also been there with no supporters this season and while we lost we didn’t look intimidated. I think the mebtal strength is there. But the main thing will be focusing on the game and not the occasion. Know your job. Do your job. Help your team mates when they need it. Show for the ball. Forget mistakes and play each ball as it comes.
Do all that and our better quality will make the difference.
Is it only Wednesday?
Burnley78
Was it not two wins each?
WBC,
The huns have gone from a 4-3-3 (used against us in February) to this 4-2-3-1 to help them look a bit more secure. They use it in Europe, home and away and instead of having Arfield, Aribo and Kamara in front of their defence they will have Jack and Lundstrum. They’ll also have Morelos as a focal point up front and another bank of 3 to flood the midfield behind.
I think we’ve damaged them and diuctated their switch to this more conservative approach. Yep, they go all pressing and gangbusters like but creativity has been reduced with 2 sitting DMs to block our progress and shuffle across in support of the 4 defenders, turning over the ball and quickly releasing it to Aribo, Kent or Roofe or the like.
I don;t think we’ll see our FBs bombing forward as much to make us more robust in the process.
HH
So, let me get this right.
We are playing “Newco” on Sunday?
Newco being a shortened version of New Company right?
As in not “new club”?
That sounds about right. Right?
OldFirmrUsCSC
“!!BADA BING!! on 30TH MARCH 2022 1:15 PM
HS- Maeda for Abada for me,he won’t give them a second, and will peg back Tav-Pen…..”
Wouldn`t Jota be the one pegging back Tav-pen?
Surprised no one has mentioned yet the likelihood of Kent or Morelos winning a soft or non-existent penalty. Morelos, if fit, will test Starfelt who is very one-sided with his challenges.