Celtic will be looking to continue their perfect start to the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season as they travel away from Parkhead to take on Hibernian on Sunday.
The Hoops were top of the division after matchday one thanks to their emphatic 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock in their first game, thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Liam Scales, Nicolas Kuhn, and Anthony Ralston.
Brendan Rodgers only handed out one debut in that match, despite three signings having been made at the time, as Kasper Schmeichel lined up between the sticks.
Viljami Sinisalo and Paulo Bernardo had also been signed prior to the match but neither of them got minutes on the pitch for the Scottish giants.
There have been no further additions to the squad but the club are reportedly in advanced talks with Norwich City to secure a £6m+ deal for Adam Idah, who spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan in Glasgow.
That has not gone through as of yet and he will, therefore, not be available for selection against Hibernian for the clash on Sunday.
Rodgers may want to make freshen his side up with the players he does have at his disposal, however, and here is our predicted Celtic XI to take to the field.
1 Kasper Schmeichel
The Denmark international, Schmeichel, made his debut in the first game of the season and could not have asked for a much easier introduction to Scottish football.
He kept a clean sheet and was rarely troubled between the sticks, keeping a clean sheet in his first match as Joe Hart's replacement at Parkhead.
2 Anthony Ralston
Alistair Johnston only returned to training shortly before the start of the season, due to his involvement in the Copa America with Canada, and Rodgers could look to manage his minutes in the opening weeks.
Anthony Ralston coming off the back to find the back of the net last weekend could further tempt the head coach into making this change in the right-back slot.
3 Cameron Carter-Vickers
Celtic's colossus, Cameron Carter-Vickers, should line up once again at the heart of the defence, after a solid performance against Kilmarnock.
The USA international won 100% (2/2) of his duels, dominating the opposition forwards, and showcased his comfortability in possession with a pass accuracy of 94%, which shows that he rarely gave the ball back to the other side.
4 Liam Scales
Alongside the former Tottenham Hotspur man, Liam Scales deserves to keep his place in the Hoops backline on the left side of the centre-back pairing.
The Ireland international was part of the back four that kept a clean sheet last time out and he contributed to the emphatic victory with a superb glancing header to make it 2-0 at the time.
5 Greg Taylor
Another player who should keep their place in the starting line-up is left-back Greg Taylor, who remains the only senior left-back on the club's books.
That is not to say that he does not deserve his position in the team, though, as the Scotland international set up the opening goal from Hatate with a crisp pass into his feet on the edge of the box.
6 Callum McGregor
Callum McGregor, fresh off the back of announcing his retirement from international football with Scotland, should start at the base of the midfield, captaining the team.
The left-footed whiz completed 97 passes in the win over Kilmarnock, with a 93% pass accuracy, and will look to provide a metronomic presence for the Hoops.
7 Reo Hatate
Rodgers should keep Reo Hatate in the starting XI after his excellent performance in the middle of the park for the Premiership champions last time out.
The Japan international opened the scoring for the Hoops with a brilliant touch and finish on the edge of the box to open his account for the campaign, and, hopefully, that was the first of many this season.
8 Matt O'Riley
HITC recently reported that Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion have submitted an offer worth in excess of £25m for Matt O'Riley this month.
However, there has been no follow up on the validity of that claim or whether or not the Hoops have accepted it, which means that the Danish star should be available for selection.
The left-footed star provided an assist for the second Celtic goal in the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock, with his corner met by the head of Scales to find the back of the net.
9 Nicolas Kuhn
On the right side of the attack, Nicolas Kuhn should keep his place in the starting XI after his strong start to the campaign at Parkhead last weekend.
The German winger opened his goalscoring account for the season by weaving inside past multiple challenges and firing a deflected effort into the back of the net.
10 Kyogo Furuhashi
Kyogo Furuhashi is the only senior striker on the club's books after Hyeon-gyu Oh moved to Genk on a permanent deal and Idah returned to Norwich at the end of last season, which leaves his position safe for now.
The Japan international did assist Kuhn's goal against Kilmarnock with a brilliant ball over the top of the opposition's defence to set the winger away.
However, Kyogo did miss two 'big chances' last weekend and the potential signing of Idah on a permanent transfer from the Canaries could leave him sweating over his place in the XI, as he would then have competition for the spot as the starting centre-forward.
