Celtic starting team news vs Rangers as Nat Phillips NOT in squad with Luis Palma on bench
The Hoops go into this one with a defensive headache and without a goal or win in their last two days but recent form goes out the window on derby day in Glasgow.
Brendan Rodgers has named his Celtic starting team to face Rangers with Nat Phillips NOT in the squad.
The defender arrived on loan from Liverpool on a short-term deal earlier this week in a bid to ease the Hoops’ current defensive crisis. The Scottish champions arrive at Ibrox without influential key defender Cameron Carter-Vickers alongside new summer signing Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh with the trio all ruled out for a number of weeks yet in a major blow to the Parkhead side. However, the new signing is not in the matchday squad for the trip across the city
Gustaf Lagerbiekle – another signing just in the door – and fringe man Liam Scales who spent last season on loan at Aberdeen have been given the nod once again at the heart of the defence with Yuki Kobayashi the back up on the bench. Fellow new recruit Luis Palma has been named as a susbstitue after joining Phillips in training with his new team-mates earlier this week
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Speaking ahead of this one, Rodgers said: “We analyse the opponents that we play, whether it’s Rangers or St Johnstone or whoever
“Obviously Michael’s been in and looking to establish his way of working on the group, having come in last season, and they have made a number of changes as well.
“But I think that’s how the squads will be, certainly for Celtic. Every two or three years is a cycle here and players change and it’s been no different this summer.
Speaking ahead of this one, Rodgers said: “We analyse the opponents that we play, whether it’s Rangers or St Johnstone or whoever.
“Obviously Michael’s been in and looking to establish his way of working on the group, having come in last season, and they have made a number of changes as well.
“But I think that’s how the squads will be, certainly for Celtic. Every two or three years is a cycle here and players change and it’s been no different this summer.
“So there’s a change, of course. You then add injuries to that and all of a sudden the make-up of the group looks slightly different But in terms of style, our style will always remain the same.
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