Celtic’s win over Hamilton on Tuesday night means Brendan Rodgers has had a better start as a Celtic manager in domestic competition than any other boss in the club’s past.
It’s an extraordinary accomplishment given the rich history of the side and it eclipses Martin O’Neill’s record in 2000 when his side went 18 games unbeaten domestically before losing to Rangers.
The fixtures roll on for the Bhoys and they welcome Dundee to Celtic Park today looking to make it an incredible eleven league wins in a row this season.
The win against Hamilton proved tougher than expected with the Lanarkshire side doggedly defending for the entirety of the 90 minutes.
It was only thanks to a fine move from Tom Rogic, Moussa Dembele and goalscorer Leigh Griffiths that the Bhoys ran out 1-0 winners.
So, what challenges will the Dee pose and who should play?
This is the XI we think should play to continue the winning run…
GK: Craig Gordon
Craig Gordon kept another clean sheet on Tuesday night, but didn’t really have much to do given the scarcity of Hamilton’s attacks.
He continues to be Celtic’s best option as the last line of defence and goes into Saturday’s game likely to make his 131st appearance for the club.
Given he’s only been at Celtic for two-and-a-half seasons, that number highlights his importance to Brendan Rodgers’ side.
RB: Mikael Lustig
Mikael Lustig had different obligations on Tuesday night. Initially starting as part of a back three, he fell into his more natural right-back role when Rodgers switched to a back four.
It’s that versatility that makes him as regular a starter as you get under Rodgers and he’s likely to play from the off again.
Always committed and rarely making a mistake, it’s no surprise he’s become a real fan favourite around Celtic Park.
CB: Jozo Simunovic
Jozo Simunovic continued his run in the Celtic side against Hamilton and is set to make his 15th appearance of the season against Dundee.
Tuesday saw a new addition to his game, as he was given license to roam forward with the ball from defence while Scott Brown tucked in behind.
He’s turned around his Celtic career from the summer when he actually underwent a medical in Torino with a view to signing.
The deal didn’t go through and Celtic are all the better for it with the Croatian beginning to form a fine partnership with our next pick in this line-up…
CB: Erik Sviatchenko
Erik Sviatchenko didn’t have the most confident of evenings at Celtic Park on Tuesday. He looked a little unsure of the formation, a little complacent with the opposition and at times was stray with his passes.
He seems to play best when put under pressure by the opposition, but still he’s been consistent enough this season and deserves his start against Dundee.
LB: Emilio Izaguirre
Kieran Tierney returned to light training earlier this week so Izaguirre’s run of appearances may be limited in the New Year.
He didn’t feature on Tuesday, with Rodgers opting for a back three instead of a four.
It’s likely a flat four will return for Dundee with Celtic not exactly putting in an assured performance with the new system.
It’ll be a welcome return for Izaguirre who must be delighted to be reborn at Celtic. He looked destined to leave the club in the summer, even doing a farewell with the fans on the final day of 2015/16.
CM: Nir Bitton
Scott Brown is suspended for the Dundee match meaning that his role is up for grabs in Rodgers’ XI. That’s a rare occasion and it will be interesting to see how a Celtic team performs without their captain to guide them.
Our pick would be Nir Bitton, who has struggled for first-team action of late. He’s been on the sidelines because of the resurgence of Stuart Armstrong and we’d like to see what kind of partnership they could strike up in the middle of the park.
He’s made 18 appearances under Rodgers so it’s not like he isn’t fancied by the manager and it should be a big opportunity for the Israeli to impress.
CM: Stuart Armstrong
Stuart Armstrong didn’t have as good a game against Hamilton as we have seen in the weeks prior, then again, no-one did!
The midfielder has done more than enough recently to survive one average showing and we’d like to see how he does in a midfield that doesn’t contain Scott Brown.
Brown does a lot of busy defensive work that allows Armstrong the space to bomb forward so when paired with Nir Bitton we might see a different Armstrong against Dundee.
RW: Gary Mackay-Steven
Gary Mackay-Steven came off the bench on Tuesday to give Celtic some much-needed width. He had another half an hour on the pitch – some badly needed game time – and didn’t do much wrong without particularly impressing either.
He loves a game against Dundee, regularly impressing for old club Dundee United on derby days against the Dees.
He’s a good pick to start on the right and should have enough about him to punish Celtic’s opponents.
CAM: Tom Rogic
If not for Tom Rogic’s defence-splitting pass on Tuesday, Celtic could easily have dropped points with a 0-0.
He found Dembele expertly through the middle who then squared for Griffiths to slot home. It was the only moment of real quality throughout the 90 minutes. But that’s what Rogic gives Rodgers’ side, moments of magic.
The Aussie midfielder will be vital again against what is expected to be a defensive Dundee line-up.
LW: Patrick Roberts
Arguably Man of the Match on Tuesday, Roberts was a constant thorn in the side of Hamilton.
He’s often had a tendency to cut inside with possession for Celtic but against the Accies he was taking men on down the outside before driving to the byline, and looked all the more dangerous for it.
He’s one to watch against Dundee given his improving form in recent games.
ST: Leigh Griffiths
Leigh Griffiths banged in another goal for Celtic on Tuesday night to make it eleven for the season. Moussa Dembele hasn’t had much luck in front of goal recently and he unselfishly set up his striking partner to give Celtic the vital goal needed to see of Hamilton.
Griffiths looked sharper across the 90 minutes for us and deserves a chance on his own in attack to show what he can do.
