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Alex McLeish tips surprise Celtic man to start vs Rangers

By Sourav Mahanty

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Mohamed Elyounoussi of Celtic is congratulated by Calum McGregor after scoring his sides third goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park on September 27, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Mohamed Elyounoussi of Celtic is congratulated by Calum McGregor after scoring his sides third goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park on September 27, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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The former Rangers boss has tipped a surprise name to start for Celtic in the upcoming Glasgow Derby with a number of stars set to miss out.

Celtic have had some terrible luck over the last few weeks. James Forrest fractured his ankle against Riga and set to be on the sidelines till at least the start of November. Albian Ajeti is also in a race against time to be fit in time for the Glasgow Derby. And then the international break started which has been a bit of a nightmare for the Hoops.

Odsonne Edouard tested positive after reporting to French under-21 duty at Clarefontaine. He is isolating right now and is a major doubt for the game against the Rangers.

Ryan Christie on the other hand has been ordered to isolate for 14 days without even getting infected. Stuart Armstrong tested positive while with the Scotland national team and the SFA deemed that the Celtic midfielder and Kieran Tierney had been in close contact with him.

And if the decision remains in place, then Christie is set to miss the Glasgow Derby as well. Although at this point of time, both Arsenal and Celtic are trying to get the SFA to rethink their decision and reduce the period of time if the players do not end testing positive over the next few days.

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With so many players unavailable, Alex McLeish believes that David Turnbull could end up starting for Celtic. As reported by the Football Insider, he said:

"“Rogic has been outstanding in these big games, but he has been out of the picture for a while.“I really feel that Neil Lennon may unleash Turnbull. He’s another who, in recent weeks, he has upped his game. He looks very, very confident.“Going into the big derby is another step up, but it would be a surprise for me if Rogic starts.”"

It would be quite a surprise though if Turnbull is indeed given a start. He has not had many of those since moving to Parkhead from Motherwell. And it does not look like Neil Lennon trusts him enough yet to start him in such a big game.

It is much more likely that he will go with a combination of Scott Brown, Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham. Of course, that’s if all three end up being available for the game and hopefully they will.

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