Martin O'Neill named a much-changed Celtic lineup for Wednesday night's trip to Perth to take on St Johnstone. The Bhoys have had a pretty steady starting XI for much of the season, with only injuries really forcing changes.
But tonight, O'Neill has made changes aplenty, bringing in Sam Johnstone in goal, as well as Dane Murray to the defence.
Oliver Sorensen starts instead of Benjamin Nygren, Sebastian Tounekti is a forced change due to Yang Hyun-jun's absence, and Kasper Hogh makes his first start since returning from injury, with Camilo Duran dropping to the bench.
But there was concern over the absence of one player from the bench, with the rest of the players - with the exception of Yang - named on the bench if they have dropped out of the starting XI.
But there is no place on the bench for Cameron Carter-Vickers, who drops out of the squad altogether. But Celtic boss O'Neill has quickly moved to clear up the situation on Celtic TV, confirming that the centre-back is being rested ahead of Sunday's Old Firm clash in the Premier Sports Cup.
📋 Tonight’s Starting XI in Perth#STJCEL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/JLq3qITu30
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) September 9, 2026
Carter-Vickers reported some soreness after Saturday night's win over St Mirren, having been a lynchpin of the Celtic defence so far this season. With the St Johnstone game being a very winnable one - on paper - for Celtic, O'Neill has moved to rest his key centre-back and brought in Murray, who is the only other go-to option due to Liam Scales playing at left-back.
Kieran Tierney is back on the bench following an injury, but he has not been deemed ready to start, with O'Neill wisely not risking the left-back ahead of Sunday, especially given his colourful injury history.
But it's good news on the Carter-Vickers front, and there is no need for panic. The American has been Celtic's best and most reliable centre-back so far this season, although his defensive partner Trusty has not been far behind.
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