Ange Postecoglou will be grateful for 3 homes games on the bounce when Celtic’s away form is not something we want to mull over on a nice bright Sunday morning. Out of the three home games that will see out September the Hoops will be expected to win at least two of the three games.

Celtic already notched up one win when they beat Raith Rovers on Thursday at Celtic Park to book their place in the League Cup semi-final against St. Johnstone. Today the Hoops will face Dundee United in the SPFL before a visit on Thursday night from Bayer Leverkusen to Glasgow in the Europa League.

The Celtic treatment room is not a pretty sight at the moment and having so many injuries in September is unheard of. In fact, it is usually around December after a glut of three games a week and bad pitches that injuries mount up like they are now.

Giorgos Giakoumakis, Mikey Johnston, Karamoko Dembele, James Forrest & Kyogo Furuhashi are all missing attacking options for the manager. Defenders Greg Taylor and Christopher Jullien are also missing along with captain Callum McGregor. There is a

Big Ange will be hoping to get at least three of these players back into his squad ASAP with the likes of Kyogo, McGregor & Forrest said to be close to a return and Mikey Johnston was said to only have a niggle.

Dundee United have their own injury problems, they will be without main striker Marc McNulty after he suffered a hamstring injury in their quarter-final defeat by Hibs on Thursday.

Prodigal son, Charlie Mulgrew has a 50/50 chance of making it back to his old club today as an opposition player after he went off in Thursday’s defeat too. United also have some goalkeeper problems that will also require a late call.

With both teams just released via their official channels, this is how the Celtic team will line up today:

I can’t remember a Celtic side so lacking in attacking options as our bench has looked over the last few weeks. Ange better hope is starting eleven can get a job done early because there is nothing on the bench if he has to go chasing the game.

Celtic have only lost one of their last 18 league meetings with Dundee United (W14 D3), winning seven of their last eight against them (D1) since a 1-2 loss in December 2014 under Ronny Deila.

  • Dundee United have lost 10 of their last 11 away league visits to Celtic, drawing the other 1-1 in November 2013. They have conceded 42 goals while scoring just eight themselves in those 11 trips.
  • Celtic have lost half of their six league games so far this season (W3); however, all of those defeats have come away from home, with the Bhoys winning eight of their last nine league matches at Celtic Park (D1).
  • Dundee United have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five league games (W3 D1 L1), including both of their last two. However, away from home, they have failed to score themselves in four of their last five Scottish Premiership outings (W1 D2 L2).
  • While Celtic have racked up the Scottish Premiership’s highest shot count (134) and expected goals tally (19.7) this season, they have the division’s poorest negative xG difference, scoring 16 goals from their 19.7 xG (-3.7).

2 COMMENTS

  1. No reason for not winning all three home games then? If Celtic can play their high press and score more than they manage to concede. That’s how winning is done. Simple mathematics really. Try to follow on. And none of yer ‘it’s ma mawz, step sisters, cousins, grannies, vicars, hamsters day of rest,’ pish. So get out there and give them grief Uncle Angeroo.

  2. Since this Hoops squad depletes its self. I would please ask something of Angeroo. Lose the stubble. As this team is going to just lose everything it has been built as too. So one minute its there. Next, they equilize. Bill Oddie indeed. Wet paper bag, and one arm’d punching, come to mind.

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