Celtic face Falkirk in the first match after the split in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday night at Celtic Park.
With just three points separating the league leaders Hearts and Celtic as Celtic currently sits in third position with 67 points, every match is crucial for Martin O’Neill’s men as they chase the title.
Martin O’Neill welcomes back several key figures, though his defensive options remain severely depleted.
Centre-half Liam Scales returns from suspension and is expected to go straight back into the starting lineup.
In a massive boost, long-term absentees Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand have both returned to training and are available for selection after months out with hamstring injuries, though they may start on the bench as they are eased back into competitive action.
Captain Callum McGregor is also fit to start despite recent minor fitness concerns. However, the Hoops are still missing several players.
Kasper Schmeichel (shoulder), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Jota (ACL), Julian Araujo (thigh), and Colby Donovan (hamstring) are all confirmed absentees, leaving the squad thin ahead of this critical opening post-split fixture.
Falkirk manager John McGlynn faces what he described as a “huge blow” with three regular starters ruled out shortly before the trip to Glasgow.
Goalkeeper Scott Bain, who was set to face his former club, is sidelined with an ankle injury that could keep him out for several weeks.
Joining him in the treatment room are key defenders Liam Henderson and Filip Lissah, both of whom picked up injuries during the recent Scottish Cup semi-final.
These fresh absences add to an already difficult situation, as Louie Marsh and Ethan Williams were previously confirmed to be out for the remainder of the season.
Barney Stewart is expected to lead the line for the Bairns. McGlynn must now reshuffle a defence that has lost two first-choice defenders and its primary goalkeeper, making an already daunting task at Celtic Park even more challenging.
Celtic enters this match in strong form, having won four of its last five matches. Most recently, they secured a dominant 6–2 victory against St Mirren in the Scottish Cup and a narrow 1–0 league win over the same opponent. Despite a recent 2–0 loss to Dundee United, they remain formidable at Celtic Park, where they have historically dominated Falkirk with eight consecutive head-to-head wins.
Falkirk’s recent form has been inconsistent, recording just one win in their last five outings. They suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup semi-finals after a 0–0 draw. While they recently beat Motherwell 3–2 on the road, their defence struggled in a high-scoring 6–3 loss to Rangers, leaving them as underdogs for the trip to Glasgow.
Celtic: Sinisalo; Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Hyun-Jun, Nygren, Maeda; Iheanacho
Falkirk: Hogarth; Adams, Donaldson, Allan, McCan; Spencer, Tait; Broggio, Yeats, Miller; Stewart
Celtic vs Falkirk can be watched live in the UK on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
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