The hosts were held by Hibernian on Saturday but remain five points ahead of the chasing pack, while their visitors sit third after their return to winning ways last time out.
Match preview
Following Wednesday’s visitors’ loss before the recent international break, Celtic find themselves boasting the Scottish Premiership’s only remaining unbeaten record, having earned 26 points from their opening 10 games, five more than Old Firm rivals Rangers in second spot.
The Glasgow giants won seven of their first eight league games before the recent October international break, drawing the other, as they successfully defended the title under manager Brendan Rodgers, who returned to the team. They scored 19 goals while only giving up five goals.
After that, the Bhoys resumed their winning ways when they faced Hearts in Edinburgh, winning 4-1 thanks to goals from Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Tomoki Iwata. Later, they hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League group stage, earning a point from a respectable 2-2 draw to earn their first continental campaign victory.
Returning to their league pursuits, the 53-time Scottish champions most recently faced a trip to Easter Road on Saturday to take on Hibernian with the aim of moving onto 28 points from their opening 10 games, but Rodgers’s men had to settle for a somewhat disappointing share of the spoils, having failed to break the deadlock for just the second time this term.
With their lead over second-placed Rangers reduced to five points as a result of that minor slip, Celtic will be keen to bounce back to winning ways in midweek and ensure their cushion is not reduced further in their search for a third straight league triumph.
They will be up against a St. Mirren team that is hoping to build on their own impressive start to the Scottish Premiership season as they head to the capital following a significant win.
After finishing sixth in the previous season, the Saints jumped into the top three early on in the new one. They started the season unbeaten, winning four and drawing three, and scoring 11 goals against only seven goals allowed.
That streak was eventually halted prior to the international break by a 3-0 beating at the hands of second-placed Rangers, but they bounced back in eye-catching fashion on their return to action last weekend, as Stephen Robinson‘s side hosted strugglers St Johnstone and dished out a 4-0 beating.
Keanu Baccus had them ahead at the interval of that meeting in Paisley, and Mikael Mandron went on to net a second-half brace before Greg Kiltie added a fourth in the dying minutes.
Now sitting in a pleasing position in third spot after nine games, just three points behind Rangers and five clear of fifth-placed Kilmarnock with a game in hand on both, St Mirren will look to pull off a major upset at Parkhead on Wednesday, after holding Celtic to a 2-2 draw in the Scottish capital the last time the sides met in May, to further strengthen their position at the top end of the division.
Team News
Celtic’s injury concerns will not go away on Wednesday. Reo Hatate, a crucial midfield player, is still limited to the treatment room along with Stephen Welsh, James McCarthy, Liel Abada, and Marco Tilio. Alistair Johnston is a new concern after being substituted in the first half of the team’s match against Hibernian, with Anthony Ralston expected to start in his place.
After keeping a clean sheet the previous weekend, Liam Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers should continue to be preferred to Nathaniel Phillips at center back. In Hatate’s absence, Benfica loanee Paulo Bernardo will look to once more join Matt O’Riley and Callum McGregor in the midfield in their 4-3-3 formation. David Turnbull and Tomoki Iwata are vying to come in from the start.
Kyogo Furuhashi is bound to again lead the line, having scored seven goals across Scottish Premiership and Champions League action so far this term, with midfielder O’Riley another key attacking contributor with six goals and four assists to his name this campaign, while Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma should both keep their places on the wings in Abada’s absence.
St Mirren may look to name an unchanged starting XI from their dominant victory over St Johnstone, although Robinson does have a decision to make on the right-hand side with Ryan Strain returning to contention after serving a suspension last time out for a red card shown in their defeat to Rangers before the break.
Veteran Ryan Flynn came into their 3-4-3 shape in his absence and will fight for another start, while Marcus Fraser, Alex Gogic and Richard Taylor are bound to line up in an unaltered back three.
Elsewhere, Mikael Mandron will continue to lead the line, after taking his tally to six goals for the season with his brace at the weekend, with Conor McMenamin and Greg Kiltie likely to join him again, while Keanu Baccus and Mark O’Hara should partner up in the engine room.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, McGregor, Turnbull; Maeda, Furuhashi, Palma
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Strain, Baccus, O’Hara, Tanser; McMenamin, Mandron, Kiltie
We say: Celtic 2-0 St Mirren
St Mirren have certainly shown their quality throughout the season so far and will be no pushovers on Wednesday, but a trip to Parkhead may be a step too far, and we see the hosts outclassing them and taking all three points on home turf.
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