Celtic vs. Rangers: Starting XI and Analysis

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 23: Scott Sinclair (R) of Celtic celebrates scoring his side's second goal with his team mate Leigh Griffiths (L) during the Scottish Cup Semi-Final match between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on April 23, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 23: Scott Sinclair (R) of Celtic celebrates scoring his side's second goal with his team mate Leigh Griffiths (L) during the Scottish Cup Semi-Final match between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on April 23, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

What has seemed like a weekly tradition this season will come to an end on Saturday — as Celtic will take on Glasgow rivals Sevco for the last time in the 2016-17 season.

After defeating the blue side of the city 2-0 in the Scottish FA Cup semi-final last weekend, can Celtic continue an unbeaten run by winning at Ibrox once again?

Will Sevco give Celtic a guard of honor as they enter the pitch as champions of the Scottish Premiership? After al, nothing would tick off the supporters of Sevco more than acknowledging the superiority of the Hoops.

Regardless, this match will feature plenty of intrigue and likely some pretty nasty football. How will manager Brendan Rodgers line his side up? Let’s take a look at the Starting XI’s for each side.

Celtic Starting XI:

Sevco Starting XI:

Analysis:

The hosts may have made some big changes, as their Tweet notes three new faces in the Sevco Starting XI, but Celtic sure aren’t playing around even with literally nothing but pride to play for at this point.

More from The Celtic Bhoys

Celtic’s only change is seeing Leigh Griffiths on for the injured Moussa Dembele. The young French international injured his hamstring early in the 2-0 Scottish Cup semi-final and may be out for the rest of the season given a six-week timetable for recovery. That bit of news means it is all about Griffiths up top, who has struggled with form and his own injury issues this season.

Getting goals from him will be important, as he needs to show he can be just as deadly as Dembele has been. Otherwise it may be time for the Celtic manager to look for reinforcements at the position this offseason.

Beyond that, Celtic lineup with the usual backline of Mikael Lustig, Jozo Simunovic, Dedryck Boyata and Kieran Tierney. The midfield is the same as the week before, with Scott Brown featuring after having his red card reduced to a yellow upon appeal to the Scottish FA this week.

It will be interesting to see how Scott Sinclair and Griffiths play off of each other, as Sinclair and Dembele seemed to be on the same wavelength for most of the season. A new look in attack from the go could throw chemistry off, but we’ll see how those two worked in training.

Rodgers gambled a bit with his bench, as there is no replacement for Griffiths up top. Should something happen to the fragile striker, the options off the bench would include Tom Rogic and James Forrest.

Given Griffiths own injury history this season, his form is certainly the main focus of this matchup.