Auchinleck Talbot vs Celtic – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Auchinleck Talbot will bid to pull off one of the greatest shocks in Scottish Cup history when they welcome Scottish Premiership side Celtic to Rugby Park on Sunday evening.

The sixth-tier West of Scotland League club are second in their division and has impressed in this season’s competition, but face an altogether different challenge against Celtic, the 42-time Scottish Cup winners.

Auchinleck Talbot vs Celtic – Match preview and team news

Auchinleck Talbot team news

Connor Boyd leads the line for Auchinleck with an impressive 23 goals this season, and will partner fellow striker Kyle McAvoy, who has scored 12 goals.

Boyd demonstrated his goal-scoring prowess in the third-round victory over Dumbarton, scoring twice in a commanding 4-0 away win. Attacking midfielder Ewan Thomson, who has netted 15 goals this campaign, will provide creative support and could be the difference-maker against the Premiership champions.

Manager Tommy Sloan will be without the home advantage of Beechwood Park, with the match relocated to Rugby Park in Kilmarnock following infrastructure concerns and police guidance. Despite the disappointment of leaving their compact 4,000-capacity home ground, Sloan remained positive: “I was disappointed it wasn’t to be at our place and so were the players but we are playing Celtic, it is at Rugby Park, we get on with it”.

Celtic team news

Celtic will be unable to call upon several key players due to injury. Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand, and Cameron Carter-Vickers remain sidelined, while Portuguese winger Jota is ruled out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury.

Manager Martin O’Neill confirmed that Jota is “unlikely to be available for the rest of this season” following a setback in his recovery.

However, O’Neill is likely to heavily rotate his squad ahead of a crucial Europa League fixture against Bologna in midweek on Thursday, January 22. This may see the likes of Colby Donovan, Dane Murray, and Viljami Sinisalo come into the starting eleven. Benjamin Nygren, who scored in Celtic’s recent 1-0 victory at Falkirk, could feature in what appears to be a favourable matchup.

Regarding the venue change, O’Neill commented diplomatically: “If I wasn’t manager of Celtic, I’d be really disappointed. Now, as I am manager of Celtic, then I’m probably quite pleased. Do you know what? It might (help us)”. The Hoops laboured to their win on Falkirk’s plastic surface and may benefit from the neutral Rugby Park pitch.

Form

Auchinleck Talbot

Auchinleck sit second in the West of Scotland Premier Division with 28 points from 11 games, trailing leaders Troon FC by just two points while holding two games in hand.

The club have an impressive history in the Scottish Junior ranks, having won the Scottish Junior Cup 14 times and the Super League title six times in seven years before the Scottish football pyramid expanded.

Celtic

Celtic have shown significant improvement under Martin O’Neill’s permanent return to the helm. After a disastrous spell under Wilfried Nancy, who won just 2 of 8 matches, O’Neill has steadied the ship.

The Hoops currently sit second in the William Hill Premiership, six points adrift of Hearts. They claimed a 1-0 away victory at Falkirk on January 14, with Benjamin Nygren’s 43rd-minute header proving decisive, and have recorded back-to-back clean sheets.

Predicted lineups

Auchinleck Talbot: Muir; Clark, Gillies, McPherson, Wilson; Sime, Crooks, Thomson, Main; Boyd, McAvoy.

Celtic: Sinisalo; Donovan, Murray, Scales, Tierney; Hatate, McGregor, Bernardo; Hyun-Jun, Kenny, Tounekti.

How to watch Auchinleck Talbot vs Celtic?

Fans can watch the game live on Premier Sports 1 (rebranded as Viaplay Sports in the UK) and stream via the Premier Sports Player.

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