With the injuries starting to really mount up at Lennoxtown once again, it makes tomorrow’s trip to Rugby Park in the League Cup that bit more tricky for sure. With Oh Hyeon-gyu, Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers definitely sidelined, the team can ill-afford anymore first-team players to be missing for crucial fixtures in the weeks ahead.
Aberdeen v Celtic – Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates scoring our second goal during the cinch Premiership match at the Pittodrie on Sunday August 13, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh
Taking all this into consideration, Brendan Rodgers should perhaps not risk Kyogo Furuhashi on that abominable playing surface in East Ayrshire. The last thing we need at this point is our talismanic striker to be out missing for any sustained period of time with an injury. It’s happened before and we missed him severely.
Yes, it would be great to breeze past Killie and into the next round of the League Cup, however, we need to look at the longer game with this season in mind. The winners of this year’s Scottish Premiership title go straight into the UEFA Champions League group stages next season again, and with a potential £50 million or so on the line, it’s essential it makes it’s way to Paradise.
Celtic’s forward Daizen Maeda and Gamba Osaka’s Hideki Ishige fight for the ball during a friendly football match between Japan’s Gamba Osaka and Scotland’s Celtic at Suita City Stadium in the city of Suita, Osaka prefecture on July 22, 2023. (Photo by PAUL MILLER/AFP via Getty Images)
Therefore, Rodgers should consider playing Daizen Maeda through the middle on Sunday and play Yang Hyun-jun wide-left. Maeda is better through the centre anyway and Yang looked superb when he came on against Aberdeen last weekend. He’ll be itching to show the manager and the Celtic supporters what he is all about and what he can bring to this already talented squad.
Unleash Yang and let Kyogo pull up a pew for this one. And if he’s needed then the Japanese striker can always come on if we need a goal.
Paul Gillespie
