Team’s Up – Engels returns, Maeda through the middle

Team’s Up – Engels returns, Maeda through the middle

Martin O’Neill has named his Celtic team to take on St Mirren in the Scottish Cup semifinal at Hampden Park this afternoon.

“If we can win the game, it would definitely have a positive effect going in to the rest of the season,” Martin O’Neill stated in his pre-match media conference.

Viljami Sinisalo is as expected in goals with a back four ahead of him consisting of the two World Cup bound Scotland fullbacks Anthony Ralston and Kieran Tierney and a central defence partnership of Auston Trusty and Benjamin Arthur.

With Liam Scales suspected, Trusty will play on the left and Arthur on the right of the pairing.

In the middle of the park Callum McGregor is fit enough to start alongside Arne Engels who returns to the starting XI for the first time since picking up a thigh injury in the Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park against Livingston two months ago.

Celtic’s top scorer Benjamin Nygren plays in the advanced role and the Celtic front three are Yang on the right, Daizen Maeda throughout the middle and on the left.