Sports
Team News And Predicted Lineups for League Cup Final
Wilfried Nancy could reverse his underwhelming start as Celtic manager and write his name into the club’s history with a win against St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup Final on Sunday afternoon.
The French coach has suffered a miserable beginning to life in Glasgow. Since taking over from Martin O’Neill, Nancy has lost a crucial game against league leaders Hearts, followed by a 3-0 defeat at home to Roma in the Europa League.
Pressure is already mounting on Nancy, with some fans fearing the appointment was hasty. A trophy win would certainly take some heat off the new coach and help win the Celtic supporters over.
Nancy has a shot at early glory, but St Mirren are not to be taken lightly. Stephen Robinson’s side have struggled recently in the league although they go into the final off the back of a 2-0 win over Dundee United. They won their semi-final resoundingly – defeating Motherwell 4-1 – and will pose a great threat to Celtic.
St Mirren Team News
Robinson will likely be without his captain Mark O’Hara. The midfielder has been out for six weeks with a foot injury which has improved with injection treatment. The final may come too early for him to make a return, but he is still being assessed.
Declan John is out with a hamstring injury, and winger Malik Dijksteel is a doubt after suffering an injury in training.
Robinson has rotated the team lately, with Alex Gogić having played at centre back and in central midfield.
St Mirren Predicted XI
• St Mirren predicted XI: George; Fraser, King, Freckleton; Richardson, Philips, Gogić, Baccus, Tanser; Mandron, Ayunga
• St Mirren predicted subs: Mullen, McMenamin, Sobowale, Idowu, Mooney, Donnelly, Nlundulu, Taylor
Celtic Team News
After a gruelling test against Roma, Nancy will be relieved to have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the final. Another piece of good news is the possible return of winger James Forrest, who has won 26 major trophies with Celtic, including six League Cups.
Defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Marcelo Saracchi and winger Jota are out with long-term injuries.
Semi-final hero Callum Osmand is expected to be out for several more months with a hamstring injury.
Attackers Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha will represent their countries at the African Cup of Nations, and could miss a month of Celtic games. The players still have a chance to play in Sunday’s final due to a new FIFA rule.
Celtic Predicted XI
• Celtic predicted XI: Schmeichel; Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Yang, McCowan, McGregor, Engels, Hatate, Donovan; Iheanacho
• Celtic predicted subs: Sinisalo, Ralston, Bernardo, Nygren, Tounekti, Balikwisha, Kenny, Maeda
After a brutal loss to Roma, Nancy will have to consider bringing some players out of the firing line. Nygren was slack in his passing, and could be replaced by McCowan in midfield. Maeda’s confidence is low, while Iheanacho looked bright when he came on against Roma. The young full-back Colby Donovan will be desperate to start for his boyhood club.
Nancy’s First Signing: Celtic Hold Talks for £70,000-a-Week Striker
Celtic approached about a deal to sign a £70,000-a-week star for Wilfried Nancy.
