NEIL LENNON has declared himself satisfied after a good week’s training ahead of this afternoon’s delayed Scottish Cup Final meeting against Hearts at Hampden.
Celtic are on the brink of achieving football immortality where a victory over the Edinburgh club will bring the club their TWELFTH successive domestic piece of silverware.
It will also seal the phenomenal quadruple treble – an extraordinary feat that is unlikely ever to be emulated.
Lennon has no fresh injury concerns as he prepares his starting line-up and substitutes for yet another crucial confrontation at the national stadium where they have claimed the trophy on their previous three visits by beating Aberdeen 2-1 with goals from Stuart Armstrong and Tom Rogic in 2017, first-half strikes by Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham in the 2-0 victory over Motherwell the following season while Odsonne Edouard took the spotlight on May 25 last year with his double in the 2-1 triumph over the Tynecastle side.
The Parkhead gaffer has a few puzzles to solve before the 2.15pm kick-off. Will there be a place for skipper Scott Brown who has been on the sidelines for the past two games, the 3-2 win over Lille and 2-0 success against Kilmarnock?
Will David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro remain in the engine room after good displays in the two victories?
Kristoffer Ajer is expected to start at right-back, so who gets the green light to play in front of him – Jeremie Frimpong or Ryan Christie?
Will rookie keeper Conor Hazard get the nod ahead of £4.5million Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain and be handed the opportunity of winning a Scottish Cup medal in only his third first-team game?
Greg Taylor or Diego Laxalt at left-back? Lennon has refused to show his hand, but all will be revealed around one o’clock this afternoon.
PROVISIONAL SQUAD
Hazard, Barkas, Bain, Frimpong, Elhamed, Jullien, Ajer, Duffy, Ralston, Bitton, Welsh, Taylor, Laxalt, Brown, Soro, McGregor, Henderson, Connell, Ntcham, Turnbull, Christie, Elyounoussi, Rogic, Edouard, Ajeti, Griffiths and Klimala.
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Hearts this afternoon – only in your champion CQN.
