It looks as though we are entering the closing period of Martin O’Neill’s second spell as Celtic manager. Although nothing is certain, it is likely that he only has a couple more team sheets to pore over and finalise. The next being for the UEFA Europa League tie on Thursday in Rotterdam against Feyenoord.
With a new manager, Wilfried Nancy, expected to be announced by Monday, O’Neill will probably have just one further match in charge. That comes on Sunday with another difficult test away at Easter Road against Hibernian.
No doubt there will be a lot of thought in terms of team selection for his potentially final two matches. It is also most likely marking the end of his legendary career. Hopefully, we'll have some clarity, at least before his final game, so that he can be given the farewell he deserves.
Unfortunately, though, O’Neill does not have much choice in terms of who he selects to start both games. If we look at the upcoming match against Feyenoord, he is, of course, limited by the players submitted to UEFA for the Europa League squad. That’s fairly normal, but adding in several injuries brings even more restrictions to availability.
Injuries and eligibility impact on potential Celtic starting XI at Feyenoord
The quick swap of Callum Osmand for Cameron Carter-Vickers into that UEFA squad was meant to fill a gap. But the striker's own subsequent injury scuppers that plan. He joins Alistair Johnston, Marcelo Sarrachi, and Kelechi Iheanacho on the hamstring injury list. Also likely to still be unavailable for Thursday are James Forrest and long-term absentee Jota.
That does still leave O’Neill with a few options to start in Rotterdam. The starting lineup against Feyenoord will also depend on how he wants to set the team up. Will he opt for a more defensive format perhaps?
At the back, it’s inevitably Kasper Schmeichel in goal. He has redeemed himself with fans after a few good stops in recent matches. There may be a point where Viljami Sinisalo steps up, but now is not the time.
In a likely back four to start would be Anthony Ralston, Austin Trusty, Liam Scales, and Kieran Tierney. As much as anything, that’s driven by injuries and ineligibility. As the game progresses, we may see Colby Donovan get some game time and perhaps Scales move one slot left if the left-back still needs to come off partway through the game.
The midfield offers some chance for change, but Paolo Bernardo seems well out of O'Neill's vision currently and would be an unlikely starter. Callum McGregor is a certainty, especially after his late match-winning strike on Sunday. Reo Hatate and Arne Engels offer the best combination alongside him, O’Neill seeming to prefer to use Benjamin Nygren from the bench. Luke McCowan is another player who can offer support later in the game, too.
Upfront, well it’s again based on limited options. There is a temptation to try starting with Daizen Maeda through the middle, but options on either wing are then very limited. He could be tempted to try Hyun-jun Yang and Sebastian Tounekti out wide but it involves someone playing out of position. Johnny Kenny still deserves his chance and so a front three of Tounekti, Kenny, and Maeda may well be the opening gambit.
It’s another tough game, the choices and flexibility aren’t great. Let’s hope O’Neill can motivate and direct the team to a decent performance on Thursday night. A potential farewell appearance with a win against Hibs on Sunday would be great too.
Celtic potential starting XI v Feyenoord
Schmeichel
Ralston
Trusty
Scales
Tierney
Hatate
McGregor
Engels
Tounekti
Kenny
Maeda