Osmand Should Start | Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup To Face Kilmarnock

After a dismal defeat to Falkirk, Celtic bounced back in Europe with a stellar 3-2 win against Besiktas at Parkhead. But the focus must shift again to the Premiership, with Kilmarnock set to travel to Glasgow to lock horns with the league leaders on Sunday evening.

Killie, struggling for survival this season, suffered a dreadful 5-1 defeat at Rugby Park in the reverse fixture earlier this campaign. Celtic are on a nine-game winning run against the East Ayrshire side across competitions, and they must extend the streak this weekend unless Martin O’Neill’s men suffer another domestic setback before the international break.

Sam Johnstone has cemented the ‘number 1’ status between the sticks and is expected to retain his spot ahead of Viljami Sinisalo after a strong performance against the Turkish heavyweights.

Colby Donovan made an immediate impact as a second-half substitute on Thursday night. The young right-back should return to the starting XI, replacing Jordan Lotomba, but the gaffer must rely on Kieran Tierney from the left, with Landon Emenalo coming off the bench at some stage. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales are likely to continue as the central defensive pairing over Dane Murray and Auston Trusty.

Callum McGregor’s work rate has waned with age, but his availability, vision and game-reading traits make him irreplaceable in the middle of the park. Despite not receiving an international call-up this time, Mika Baur remains key to the Bhoys’ domestic and European ambitions as they navigate a packed fixture schedule. The German should form a ‘double pivot’ alongside the veteran skipper; however, the manager has options like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke McCowan, Oliver Sorensen and Joel van den Berg who could feature as substitutes.

James Forrest and Sebastian Tounekti were handed surprise starts down the flanks but could make way for Camilo Duran and Callum Osmand, who turned things around in Celtic’s favour as ‘super subs’. Haissem Hassan and Jota might also get deployed on the wide, but the ‘number 10’ role belongs to Benjamin Nygren for his creative spark, finishing, and poaching skills in and around the attacking third.

Kasper Hogh announced his arrival with a hat-trick against Killie early in the season but has since gone quiet. The Danish ‘number 9’ should aim to end his goal drought if he features this weekend. Shim Mheuka would continue as the understudy, having found his minutes limited since joining on loan from Chelsea.