Celtic vs. Alloa: How to Watch and Predicted Starting XI
Celtic take on high-flying league one leaders Alloa Athletic later today in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals. With the game a night affair at Paradise, how best can anyone the world over watch the Bhoys in Green?
Here are your viewing options:
UK & Ireland: BT Sport 1
United States: Fox Soccer 2 Go, Celtic TV
Australia: beIn Sports Connect Australia
Israel: Sport +5 Live
Rest of International Viewers: Celtic TV
It may be a forgone conclusion to some that the Hoops will advance to join that other Glasgow club in the semi-finals.
However, a lot of that conclusion may be up to just how Brendan Rodgers treats this game. With plenty of fixtures played and still to come the rest of this month, squad rotation will be vital to any long-term success for the Bhoys.
One name we know we won’t see is injured star Leigh Griffiths, who is still nursing that hamstring injury. It appears the club is taking a slow approach to his return and wants him fully fit before getting back on the pitch.
With that in mind, how do we see this team lining up when it comes time to play Alloa at Celtic Park?
Celtic Goalkeeper:
Hoops fans have been clamoring for change…will they get it in the net?
Craig Gordon of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League group A match between Ajax and Celtic on September 17, 2015 at the Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Craig Gordon
GK, Celtic
Celtic Defenders:
DUBLIN, IRELAND – JULY 30: Denis Suarez (R) of Barcelona and Emilio Izaguirre (L) of Celtic during the International Champions Cup series match between Barcelona and Celtic at Aviva Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Dedryck Boyata
RB, Celtic
This would be a bold choice for Rodgers, considering that Boyata has made just one start since Rodgers took over and that start was in International Champions Cup play during the preseason. However, I’m not sure that Cristian Gamboa needs to be playing in this match to make him feel more comfortable with the Celtic side. With plenty of changes likely, we’re guessing that Boyata gets a run out as the choice at right back. 5
Jozo Simunovic
CB, Celtic
Last weekend we saw Simunovic get his first playing time of the 2016-17 season following an extended injury spell. Clearly the manager believes that Simunovic has the skill to be an asset to the Bhoys. Given that Rodgers trusted him to come on against Inverness in the second half, we’re going with him as one of the two center backs to play the full 90. What better way to continue to get match fit than a cup contest against a League One side, right? 34
Eoghan O'Connell
CD, Celtic
O’Connell didn’t feature on the weekend like we thought, largely because it was Sviatchenko who got the start and not Kolo Toure. This time around, look for O’Connell to get the call and make an impact on the Celtic defense. The youngster has been a fixture on Celtic’s bench much of the season, now he’ll get a chance to step in to a starting role. Can he take advantage of that and make a push for extended time when the games are at a higher level? That will be his challenge, and playing alongside fellow training ground warrior Jozo Simunovic just makes too much sense. 3
Emilio Izaguirre
LB, Celtic
Izzy hasn’t been a part of many Celtic starting lineups this season, but this is a perfect time to get him out for a full 90 minutes and allow the younger Kieran Tierney to get some needed rest. There’s little doubt that Izaguirre can handle the pressure of a league cup quarterfinal and his leadership may be needed given what is going to be next to him in the lineup at the back. Next: Celtic Midfield18
Tom Rogic
LM, Celtic
Perhaps the hardest part of this lineup is figuring out how Celtic will lineup in the midfield. We’re guessing they go with five and that means one of Rogic or Roberts has to feature on the left side of the midfield. Rogic seems the logical choice here, giving Roberts a chance to run out on the weekend leading up to what should be his Champions League debut (ironically against Manchester City) this coming mid-week. Rogic has done nothing to think he isn’t a regular fixture for this team and with Rodgers likely looking to kill the game off early this should be an easy choice. 37
Scott Brown
CM, Celtic
With Celtic likely to field a lot of different players in this match, someone has to keep this lot in order. Look for Brown to get the call unlike this weekend, and his role as captain will be vital to the Hoops success in this matchup…of course, right alongside his ability to get stuck in when needed. 42
Callum McGregor
CM, Celtic
Some were surprised to see the young McGregor in the lineup this past weekend, but he earned it and then went out and proved he should probably get an extended look as he outplayed fellow middle of the park player Nir Bitton against Inverness. Let’s see what he has in him for a second-straight game and how he pairs with Scott Brown. We’re guessing this could be the start of something good if he can keep himself out of the dog house. 46
James Forrest
RM, Celtic
Now is the perfect time to give arguably the most important player on Celtic’s 2016-17 squad, Scott Sinclair, some much needed rest. Forrest is perfectly capable of running the left side of midfield and distributing as needed against a squad like Alloa. There is a dropoff between Sinclair and Forrest in terms of play, but not a significant enough one to make Rodgers think twice of putting Sinclair on the bench as an “In Case of Emergency” sub. 17
Ryan Christie
AM, Celtic
Celtic Forward:
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 3: Moussa Dembele celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League, Third Round, Second Leg between Celtic and Astana at Celtic Park on August 3, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)
Mouusa Dembele
F, Celtic
Ideally, Rodgers would probably like to sit his in-form striker but that won’t be possible with a limited amount of options thanks to Leigh Griffiths’ extended time on the injured list. Rodgers will also likely want to put this game away early on and the best chance to do that is to get his star signing in to the match as a starter and kill it off in the first 45 minutes. Should Rodgers not see it that way, don’t be surprised to see wunderkid Jack Aitchison get time as either the starter or as a sub in the second half.
More from The Celtic Bhoys
This article originally appeared on 
