Opinion: Don't be surprised if 14-goal man returns to Celtic line-up

It would not be a surprise to see Liel Abada return to the Celtic line-up for this weekend’s game against St Johnstone. 

Some people might think that is not the best decision, seeing how well Dazien Maeda played against Rangers. 

But the player was out on his feet at the end of the match, and a spell on the bench might be just what he requires.

 It should also be remembered that Abada did play well in the Glasgow derby when he came on, and really should have scored at least once for the Hoops.

 His first chance was a poor finish but his second effort was only denied a goal by a fine Allan McGregor save. 

 Looking back at Celtic’s last game against St Johnstone, Abada thrived in what was a strange day for the club. The game was played on Boxing Day, and was limited to 500 fans due to Covid restrictions. 

It was the last game played by Kyogo for the Hoops so far this season, as he suffered the hamstring injury that he has only just recovered from. 

Thankfully, despite the setback of Kyogo’s injury and the lack of atmosphere at the game, the Hoops secured a 3-1 win, with Abada finding the back of the net twice. Abada’s performance against St Johnstone in the last meeting between the teams could be in Ange Postecoglou’s thinking when he selects the team that will face the Perth side. 

It won’t be an easy game for the Hoops despite the fact that St Johnstone are currently in 11th place in the Premiership.

 They need the points as much as Celtic do, but for very different reasons, as they want to avoid relegation and possibly the play-offs, whilst the Bhoys need the three points to keep the title charge on track. It will be interesting to see how Celtic approach the game. 

The Hoops will want to get an early goal, which has