Predicted Celtic XI as usual rules ripped up on plastic and 3 signings primed to ignite against Livingston

Dutch courage was shown with nine men on the biggest stage but Brendan Rodgers knows the bread and butter holds the same amount of Celtic importance.

A 2-0 defeat to Feyenoord was compounded by going down to 9-men midweek and they'll look to take out their Champions League defeat frustration on David Martindale's Livingston team. The Lions have been a bogey team in the past forthe champions and Rodgers has already spoken of the difficulty that their plastic pitch in West Lothian adds, but that won't be an excuse that washes if points are dropped. And there is no traditional League Cup game midweek as they aim to empty the tank in West Lthian.

Both Neil Lennon and Ange Postecoglou have dropped points at this venue since Rodgers departed in 2019 so he'll be aware of the pitfalls. He faces an injury sweat on Nat Phillips who missed the Feyenoord game after rolling his ankle against Dundee last Saturday, but whether his boss risks him on a plastic surface remains to be seen.

An energy-sapping shift in Europe could also open the door to some new boys to get their shot at a starting spot, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Liel Abada all out. Mikey Johnston and Marco Tilio meanwhile have been back in training after their respective injuries. Here is the Celtic squad and their predicted XI.

Goalkeepers

Joe Hart

Scott Bain

Defenders

Greg Taylor

Alexandro Bernabei

Gustaf Lagerbielke

Liam Scales

Nat Phillips

Anthony Ralston

Alistair Johnston

Midfielders

Tomoki Iwata

Matt O’Riley

Callum McGregor

David Turnbull

Reo Hatate

Odin Holm

Paulo Bernardo

Forwards

Daizen Maeda

Kyogo Furuhashi

Oh Hyeongyu

Yang

Luis Palma

Mikey Johnston

Marco Tilio