Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has named his starting XI to face Ross County as the Bhoys bid to open up a five-point gap over Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Heading into the clash, talk has been widespread regarding potential changes to the manager’s line-up after the Hoops’ draw with Brugge in midweek.
Amid a heavy fixture schedule for Celtic, there is a prominent train of thought that the likes of Arne Engels, Greg Taylor and even Kyogo Furuhashi could be rested to offer others an opportunity to stake their claim for extra minutes.
The Bhoys are in excellent form, and Brendan Rodgers won’t want to disrupt their momentum. However, there is a long old season ahead, with tests such as Aberdeen at Pittodrie next Wednesday coming under the bracket of must-win.
With anticipation building ahead of kick-off, the Irishman has named his Celtic starting line-up to face Ross County.
Brendan Rodgers names Celtic starting XI vs Ross County
Rodgers has named his starting side to face Ross County today and the most notable changes include Engels’ omission for Paulo Bernardo in midfield alongside Adam Idah being preferred to Kyogo Furuhashi through the middle.
Alex Valle starts ahead of Greg Taylor, Liam Scales replaces Auston Trusty, and James Forrest gets the nod in place of Nicolas Kuhn. Luke McCowan also gets a well-deserved berth over Reo Hatate.
Three points is the mission for Celtic today, and Rodgers’ team selection offers a fine balance between continuity and fresh legs to balance the workload of key assets.
The main talking points from Celtic line-up vs Ross County
Notably, Rodgers has shuffled around to his options in midfield to provide new energy against an opponent likely to flood the engine room.
Engels misses out after starting against Brugge during the week, which is probably the right call when factoring in the amount he has played for club and country recently.
On the same token, seeing McCowan, Forrest, Bernardo, Idah, Valle and Scales come back in offers an element of fresh legs when examining fixtures to come.
Hopefully, the Bhoys can seize the initiative today as the possibility of another precious three points is dangled in front of a capacity home crowd. Join 67 Hail Hail for post-match reaction to today’s events, see you then!
