As we wait in anticipation for another big night at Celtic Park in the UEFA Champions League group stages, there will be several decisions the manager has to make when we do battle with BSC Young Boys in Paradise…

Brendan Rodgers has had to rotate as best as he could in recent times to avoid overloading the same players with too many minutes and inviting injuries.
Nicolas Kühn and Daizen Maeda are Celtic’s key men this season
Nicolas Kühn and Daizen Maeda have been two such players and both have had to deal with niggling issues and general fatigue of late, having played a lot of games this year already. The need for reinforcements on the wings has never been so necessary as we risk blunting arguably our two best weapons in the way that we play as a team. Their absence was keenly felt in the past few games before their return and they will be crucial if we are to win tomorrow evening.

Kyogo will be at the spearhead of the attack
It’s a stick on that those men mentioned will start and no doubt Kyogo will be at the spearhead of the attack in that triumvirate of pace and trickery. Adam Idah has been toiling of late and it would be difficult to see Rodgers deciding to start him against the Swiss side. Always a good option to bring from the bench though, Idah could be a welcome introduction later on in the game if we’re needing that ball to stick and the game becomes stretched at that point.

Auston Trusty instead of Liam Scales
Meanwhile, defence should take care of itself more-or-less too, with Rodgers likely to stick with Auston Trusty instead of Liam Scales, who has been utilised at left-back quite a bit of late. He’s been brought on to shore up that defence and add much needed height which Greg Taylor just does not have. Having said that, the manager will stick with the former Killie man and leave young Barcelona full-back, Alex Valle, on the bench. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston take care of themselves.

It’s the midfield that is most intriguing as the Irishman has a full bill of health apart from veteran, James Forrest, who is still out of action with a knock he picked up in the League Cup Final. Callum McGregor starts of course, as the captain is instrumental in everything we do. But it’s the other two places that hold intrigue. Will it be Hatate and Engels alongside the main man or will he opt to freshen it up and put in Paulo Bernardo? What about possibly even Luke McCowan for more energy in that area?
It will be interesting to see how Rodgers sees this one but the team that started on Saturday against was also the team that started against RB Leipzig back on 5 November and can be regarded as Brendan’s strongest team. So unless other factors such as injury or illness come into play this will be the Celtic team that get their photograph taken before kick-off against BSC Young Boys…

🗣️ “You should imagine Celtic fans feeling fairly optimistic”
Celtic can take a huge step towards the next stage of the Champions League with a win tomorrow 🍀 pic.twitter.com/g7TGTmJytr
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 21, 2025
Paul Gillespie
