Our resident Celtic fans here in the Transfer Tavern are finally over the humiliation of their first leg defeat to Lincoln Red Imps, after comfortably dispatching the Gilbraltan side in the second leg at Celtic Park.
The International Champions Cup pre-season tournament is keeping the punters here in the Transfer Tavern occupied, with some of the biggest clubs in world football competing across a number of continents.
Celtic face Premier League champions Leicester City at 5:30pm on Saturday, and our regular Bhoys here in the pub have devised a 4-4-2 line-up that will dominate Leicester City in the pre-season friendly at Celtic Park.
Brendan Rodgers will be hoping for another good home performance in front of the Celtic fans, but will face a stern test against Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes.
Here is Celtic in a 4-4-2 formation that will beat Leicester City in the pre-season friendly with Leicester City……
Craig Gordon
The former Sunderland stopper is surely going to feature for the Bhoys in goal against Leicester.
Undoubtedly the best keeper at the club, Gordon will be given the chance to face off against the Premier League champions at Celtic Park.
The 33-year-old has tonnes of experience in top-flight football, and will ultimately prove pivotal in Celtic’s 2016/17 campaign.
Saidy Janko
The Swiss under-21 has really come into his own at the Scottish giants.
Celtic signed the defender on a four-year deal last summer from Manchester United, and is set to have a big future at the club.
Janko is certainly set to start against the Premier League champions.
Erik Sviatchenko
The 6ft 1 Celtic defender has proved to be a rock at the back for Celtic since signing for the club in January of this year.
Set to be a major part of Brendan Rodgers’ plans, Sviatchenko will surely get a run out against Leicester City at Celtic Park.
Kristoffer Ajer
Naturally a midfielder, the Norweigan played as a centre-back against Wolfsburg in a pre-season friendly and impressed.
Brendan Rodgers seems to like the player, and it would be no surprise to see Ajer utilised as a centre-back once again against Leicester City.
Our regular Celtic fans here in the Tavern are excited about Ajer, and feel he could play a major role in Rodgers’ revolution at the club going forward.
Emilio Izaguirre
The 30-year-old has been at Celtic since 2010, and is a player that is highly-rated by the Celtic fans here in the Transfer Tavern.
The Honduran will surely be given a run out against the Foxes, as he will feature heavily for Celtic next season.
Our landlord here in the Transfer Tavern rates Izaguirre, and feels he would do well in England!
RM: Patrick Roberts
The young Englishman, who decided to miss out on the U19 European Championships in order to cement a place in Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side, went a long way towards doing so with an impressive performance in their Champions League Second Leg Qualifier.
The 19-year-old, on loan from Man City is one to watch out for, having scored 6 goals in 11 Scottish Premiership appearances last season, and could cause the Premier League champions real problems.
CM: Scott Brown
The club captain made the move to Celtic Park from Hibernian in 2007 and has gone on to make nearly 250 appearances, becoming one of the most important assets to their side over the past 9 years.
The 31-year-old may be nearing the end of his career and may not be the most attractive of midfielders but his sheer power and determination would take any side to the next level.
CM: Tom Rogic
The Australian attacking midfielder is one of Celtic’s most underrated players – on his day, he can be one of Celtic’s players.
If Rogic can sort his fitness issues out in the coming season, then the 23-year-old could become an influential player for Brendan Rodgers next season.
Rogic could definitely get a run out against the Foxes.
LM: Stuart Armstrong
The 24-year-old has been utilised as more of a number ten by Rodgers in the two Champions League Qualifiers, but played the majority of his games for the Celts last season as a left-sided midfielder.
The 2015/16 season was the former Dundee United man’s first full season as a Celtic player, and provided a good base to build on for the coming campaign, scoring four goals in 25 Scottish Premier League appearances under Ronny Deila.
Moussa Dembele
While the Frenchman was in action against the Lincoln Red Imps, he still needs game time under Brendan Rodgers for the Hoops.
Undoubtedly one of the most promising young forward in Britain right now, testing himself against the Premier League champions is surely a chance he will relish.
Leigh Griffths
The former Hibs man has taken the mantle as the Bhoys’ marquee marksman with relative ease since his move from Edinburgh.
Surely, his pace in hehind the Foxes’ defence will be an asset as the champions of Scotland face their English counterparts.
