Hatate To Return? | Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Club Brugge | OneFootball

After back-to-back draws against Red Star Belgrade and Hibernian, Celtic, under Brendan Rodgers, must show a reaction on Thursday evening in their upcoming Europa League encounter against Braga. Although it was a decent point earned in Serbia, the stalemate with Hibs manifested their wastefulness and the lack of creativity high up the pitch.

Braga have struggled so far in the Liga Portugal, with just 9 points in 7 league outings. However, they won against Feyenoord in the Europa League matchday 1, and the Bhoys won’t have a stroll in the park when they host the Portuguese side at Celtic Park.

Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Braga

Defence

Kasper Schmeichel continues to be the first-choice custodian over Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan, and the veteran Dane is expected to retain his ‘number 1’ status, having conceded just once in the Premiership.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 20: Reo Hatate of Celtic is put under pressure by Dastan Satpaev and Yerkin Tapalov of Kairat Almaty during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Alistair Johnston remains sidelined with a hamstring tear, but the Hoops have Anthony Ralston back in action, recovering from his injury concern. Auston Trusty has returned to training, but is not yet ready to challenge Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales in the heart of the backline. Rodgers rested Kieran Tierney over the weekend, but the Scotsman should be restored down the left, replacing Marcelo Saracchi.

Midfield

Skipper Callum McGregor continues to orchestrate the game from the base as a deep-lying playmaker. But he is primarily confined to marshalling the backline, which limits his attacking play. Benjamin Nygren has featured regularly as a ‘number 8’ over Arne Engels since his summer move, and the Sweden international should return to the starting XI after appearing as a second-half substitute against Hibs. Reo Hatate was not risked due to a tight hamstring, but the Japanese midfield ace would grab a starting status over Luke McCowan if declared fit for the midweek contest.

Attack

Celtic messed it up in the summer window when they parted ways with Adam Idah without roping in a like-for-like replacement up top. They brought in Kelechi Iheanacho on a Bosman after the window was slammed shut, and the Nigerian could retain his first-team spot, considering Daizen Maeda’s disastrous form as a ‘number 9′. The latter used to feature from the left when Kyogo Furuhashi was spearheading the Celts’ attack, and a similar role might help him revive his rhythm from the 2024-25 season.

New signings Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha have not settled in yet, but the gaffer could opt for Tounekti, who has got the nod over the other wingers since his deadline day transfer. Balikwisha, along with Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest, could be introduced as second-half substitutes to add more firepower across the frontline.