Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain On Bench – Celtic Team vs Kilmarnock Confirmed | OneFootball

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Fixture: Kilmarnock vs Celtic Competition: Scottish Premiership Kick-off: 13:30 UK time

Martin O’Neill has selected his Celtic lineup vs Kilmarnock from afar for what is the Bhoys’ second outing of the new Scottish Premiership season.

The champions ground out a win over Dundee in their opening game and will want to make sure they also take three points from this afternoon’s encounter.

Celtic are working hard in the transfer market to strengthen O’Neill’s squad before the window closes, with a swoop for Egypt winger Haissem Hassan now advanced, but they need to keep the wins coming even without reinforcements.

With O’Neill having had a minor procedure at hospital, his assistant Shaun Maloney is in the dugout this afternoon, but he admitted that the veteran boss has been very much involved in the preparations for the Kilmarnock clash.

One changed aspect from recent clashes at Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park is the pitch.

The club have removed the controversial artificial turf and replaced it with a grass pitch, which Maloney insisted ‘looks fantastic’.

The Celtic assistant will want to make sure he can deliver all three points for O’Neill, who will be watching from afar, and make the right calls at the right times.

Kilmarnock lost their Scottish Premiership opener, 4-3 at St Johnstone, but scoring three goals in the process does point towards attacking capability.

Maloney has Viljami Sinisalo in goal in the Celtic lineup vs Kilmarnock this afternoon, while at the back the Bhoys go with a back four of Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Kieran Tierney.

Midfield will be a key battleground and Celtic have Callum McGregor and Arne Engels, while Camilo Duran, Benjamin Nygren and Yang support Kasper Hogh.

If Maloney needs to make the call to shake up the Celtic lineup vs Kilmarnock at any point then he can look to his bench, where options include Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Forrest.

Celtic Lineup vs Kilmarnock

Sinisalo, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Tierney, McGregor, Engels, Duran, Nygren, Yang, Hogh