Celtic are preparing for a difficult contest as they take on AS Roma in the Europa League on Thursday night. Wilfried Nancy will lead the Bhoys for the second time with the hope of getting back to winning ways after a disappointing start to life at Parkhead.
A 2-1 defeat to table-topping Hearts over the weekend was a bitter blow, but securing a positive result against a European powerhouse in Roma is a surefire way of getting supporters firmly onside.
If they’re to do so, however, Celtic will need to be at the very top of their game.
Celtic Team News
Nancy could be tempted to make changes ahead of a crucial match this weekend when Celtic face St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup. Regardless of what team is selected, it’s expected that the Frenchman will line up in his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation.
In terms of personnel, Marcelo Saracchi will miss out with a hamstring injury. James Forrest will also miss out after just returning to training after injury. Meanwhile, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand and Cameron Carter-Vickers are longer-term absentees.
Nancy Drops Celtic Team News Hint
Speaking ahead of the match, Nancy said: “I feel good,” Nancy said. “Obviously, for the first game, we only had two days to train the team. I think what I saw was interesting, we had some good moments with and without the ball, but we could have been better.
“I am not pleased with the result, but I am pleased with how we played, the way each player wanted to connect, so it was interesting for our first game.
“This is amazing. My job is to find solutions and prioritise. Don’t forget that we have a good base already, so my job is to add certain things, offensively and defensively.
“If I had more time, we could have been better against Hearts, but I have been really pleased with the session we had this morning.”
Celtic Predicted XI
Celtic Predicted XI: Schmeichel; Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Yang, McGregor, Engels, McCowan; Nygren, Hatate; Maeda
Celtic Predicted Subs: Tounekti, Kenny, Balikwisha, Sinisalo, Iheanacho, Bernardo, Murray, Ralston
Nancy could make a couple of changes for the clash with Roma, with Tounekti one whose spot is in danger. Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren are likely to start, however, due to being the club’s top scorers in the competition this term.
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Roma Team News
Roma are set to be without striker Artem Dovbyk for the trip to Celtic Park. The Ukrainian striker has been sidelined for several weeks with a thigh injury and won’t return in time.
In brighter news, Wesley could return to the fold after a brief lay-off. Gian Piero Gasperini could make changes after back-to-back defeats.
Gasperini Previews Celtic Clash
Speaking ahead of the match, Gasperini said: “Celtic are an excellent team as we saw in their last game, when they played really well despite the bad result. It’s never easy playing away in this wonderful stadium, which oozes tradition and history. I think it will be a great game tomorrow, between two teams trying to secure big points with just a few matches left in the league stage.”
Discussing the Hearts defeat, Gasperini added: “They played well and the [opposition’s] goals were fortuitous, one from a corner. They played well. It just shows that more than the formation it’s the details that make the difference. It’s true that it’s a tactical system that’s become quite widespread in Europe now. Years ago it was a new thing with Atalanta. I don’t know how Celtic are going to play tomorrow but they’re a team I like. They played an attacking, open game and gave me an excellent impression, result aside.”
Roma Predicted XI
Roma Predicted XI: Svilar; Ghilardi, Mancini, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, El Aynaoui, Tsimikas; Soule, Pellegrini; Dybala
Roma Predicted Subs: Rensch, Ferguson, Ziolkowski, Bailey, Vasquez, Pisilli, Arena, El Shaawary, Gollini, Baldanzi, Soule, Cristante
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