Sinisalo And Trusty Must Return | Predicted Celtic Lineup To Face Ferencvárosi In The Europa League | OneFootball

After a catastrophic defeat to bitter rivals Rangers in the season’s first Old Firm derby, Celtic will now begin their Europa League campaign, with Hungarian heavyweights Ferencvárosi set to visit Parkhead on Thursday night. Confidence must be sky-high in the Greens’ camp following an emphatic 7-0 win over Debreceni in the Magyar Kupa, unlike the Bhoys, who were eliminated from the League Cup last weekend in a one-sided encounter.

These two sides previously clashed heads in 2021, when the Celts won both home and away in the group stage of the 2021-22 season. However, Ferencvárosi knocked them out of the Champions League qualifiers in 2020, and the gaffer Martin O’Neill must demand a reaction from his men in Europe.

Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup To Face Ferencvárosi

Defence

Sam Johnstone grabbed back-to-back starts between the sticks, but could make way for Viljami Sinisalo, who has hardly put a foot wrong since being promoted as the first-choice custodian earlier this year after Kasper Schmeichel’s injury.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 26: James Forrest of Celtic battles for possession with Eldar Civic of Ferencvaros during the UEFA Champions League: Second Qualifying Round match between Celtic and Ferencvaros at Celtic Park on August 26, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

With Alistair Johnston still sidelined, the veteran Northern Irish boss should once again rely on Colby Donovan down the right ahead of new signing Jordan Lotomba and Anthony Ralston. Cameron Carter-Vickers had a nightmare at Ibrox, but his experience would be key in such a high-voltage fixture. Despite getting the nod over Auston Trusty on Sunday afternoon, Liam Scales might make way for the USMNT centre-back to partner his compatriot in the heart of the backline. Kieran Tierney is expected to keep his place down the left for the balance he brings between attack and defence.

Midfield

Celtic have no like-for-like alternative for skipper Callum McGregor, who remains irreplaceable deep in midfield despite being a shadow of his earlier self. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suspended for the midweek clash and Joel van den Berg left out of the 25-man list, O’Neill is left with Mika Baur and Oliver Sørensen as the only available central midfield options. Baur fits better as a ‘double pivot’, but the latter must appear from the bench to inject more energy and directness in the middle of the park.

Benjamin Nygren has been effective with his end product while featuring as a ‘number 10’. The Swedish ace is the obvious starter, but Yang Hyun-jun’s absence for international commitments could force the manager to bank on Camilo Duran as a makeshift left-sided attacker. The versatile forward would be a far better option than Sebastian Tounekti and James Forrest. Haissem Hassan, back to full fitness, should retain his starting status down the right.

Club-record signing Kasper Hogh has been highly disappointing since his hat-trick against Kilmarnock early in the season. But the Danish hitman could still spearhead the attack amid Shim Mheuka’s omission from the Europa League squad, Callum Osmand’s injury, and dependency on Duran in wide areas.