Yang To Start? | Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face St Mirren | OneFootball

Celtic are back to winning ways in the Premiership, clinching a thumping 5-1 win against Aberdeen. But they have little time to recover before travelling to Paisley to clash heads with St Mirren on Saturday evening. Despite being knocked out of Europe, the Hoops showed grit and determination against Bayern Munich in the knockout phase. They are marching towards the domestic ‘treble’, unless an upset in the league or the Scottish Cup over the next couple of months.

Celtic have defeated St Mirren twice already so far this season, both home and away, scripting an identical 3-0 scoreline. Although the Buddies stunned Rangers at Ibrox, their last win against the Bhoys is dated back to September 2022. The Glasgow giants registered 10 wins and 1 draw ever since across competitions, and the streak could extend further regardless of their last weekend’s defeat on the road against Hibernian.

Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face St Mirren

Defence

A late goal from the Dons’ wideman Shayden Morris denied Kasper Schmeichel a clean sheet on Tuesday night. The veteran Dane was hardly tested otherwise but is expected to be challenged by the Buddies’ striking duo Mikael Mandron and Jonah Ayunga.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – JANUARY 05: Nicolas Kuehn of Celtic celebrates with teammate Arne Engels after scoring his team’s third goal during the William Hill Premiership match between Celtic FC and St. Mirren FC at Celtic Park on January 05, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Hoops have a stable backline with ample depth and quality in every position. Yet Brendan Rodgers should stick with Alistair Johnston over Anthony Ralston down the right. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty, the USMNT central defensive pair, must keep their place in the heart of the backline. However, a dismal performance at Easter Road seems to have cost Greg Taylor his starting status. Jeffrey Schlupp might feature again from the left, and the gaffer could once again consider Liam Scales as the understudy to the veteran Ghanaian similar to their midweek outing.

Midfield

While Paulo Bernardo remains sidelined with an injury concern, the ever-present Callum McGregor would orchestrate the game from the deep as he has done with sheer expertise all these years. The Scotsman fired in against Aberdeen, but he would primarily focus on turning defence into attack from the base of a three-man midfield. Arne Engels has emerged as an able alternative to Matt O’Riley in the middle of the park. He laid it on for Jota and McGregor on Tuesday, and the manager must give him a nod alongside Reo Hatate once again. Luke McCowan could be introduced as a second-half substitute to replace either of the ‘number 8s’.

Attack

Celtic are well equipped in attack even though they failed to rope in a like-for-like replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi. Adam Idah is an outright ‘number 9’ option, however, Daizen Maeda has exhibited more finesse and finishing traits while spearheading the attack. Nicolas Kuhn could make way for Hyun-Jun Yang as the latter found the net minutes after appearing as a ‘super sub’. Jota is likely to operate from the left but could switch his spot with the South Korean sensation to add flexibility and variation.