Celtic have provided their predicted starting line-up for the upcoming Scottish Premiership match against Dundee.

After what has arguably been the longest period of time in the club’s history, Celtic are once again back in domestic action after the international break.

It is now 13 days since Celtic’s 1-0 victory over Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium, and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is set to return to the Park to take on newly promoted side Dundee in an encounter that promises to be a highly entertaining one. The latest casualty to Celtic’s injury list has been Liel Abado, and it will be intriguing to see which player Rodgers chooses to replace him, particularly as the players are eager to take advantage of this unexpected chance to play on the right wing. In addition to Abada, there are also doubts in the middle of the defence and in the midfield.

With all of that in mind, who will start for Celtic in this Scottish Premiership match against Tony Docherty’s Dundee? Our writers have their say…

Ryan McGinlay

You get the feeling that this could be quite an exciting day in store for Celtic and the team, especially given the opportunity for some new faces to make a name for themselves almost straight from the off.

Rodgers and his players left the pitch three weeks ago to a chorus of boos after the drab 0-0 draw against St Johnstone, but they will be greeted with euphoric cheers when they step foot on Celtic Park’s turf on Saturday afternoon, especially after what transpired at Ibrox.

When it comes to who the manager will select in this game, there are certainties. Joe Hart will remain the club’s number-one keeper, following a solid performance against Dundee last time out. The veteran’s form has improved significantly, and he now appears to be able to meet the expectations of the new manager. Liam Scales, on the back of a brilliant performance against Aberdeen, will be dropped to the bench to make way for Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips. The former England international made a positive statement to the media this week, and it is understood that he is ready to be put right back into the starting line-up for Tuesday’s clash with Feyenoord

Into the midfield, and there will be a welcomed return to the dynamic Reo Hatate to proceedings, alongside captain Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley. It will be interesting to see where Hatate is positioned on the field, as O’Riley played deeper against Rangers, where he excelled. Either way – despite Odin Thiago Holm and new signing Paulo Bernardo desperate to get stuck in – it will be the best midfielder in the country who gets the nod, following his spell out of the team due to injury. Here’s hoping Rodgers and his team secure the win within 60 minutes so we can see some more debuts, particularly in the case of Bernardo and Luis Palma.

Speaking of Palma, it will be intriguing to see just how much game time the Honduras international receives, having arrived back in Glasgow on Friday. He will probably have to make do with a substitute appearance in light of this, leaving the door open for Daizen Maeda to continue in the left-wing position. On his opposite side, this is precisely the opening that Yang Hyun-jun has been waiting for at Celtic, which has unfortunately come at the expense of Abada. Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and the South Korean should take his recent debut international appearance as a springboard to establishing himself at club level too.

No surprises about who will lead the line for Celtic in this one, as it has got to be Kyogo Furuhashi, as always. Three goals in four games is a decent start for the Japanese striker, though he’ll be wanting to further his goal tally against a team whom he burst onto the scene against two years ago. Another hat-trick would be good going from the formidable forward on Saturday afternoon.

Ryan’s team: Hart; Johnston, Lagerbielke, Taylor; McGregor, Hatate; Yang, O’Riley, Maeda; Kyogo

Tony Haggerty

It’s back to the Scottish Premiership grind for Celtic with Dundee next up for Rodgers’ men.

I’m not sure if the Northern Irishman has any gambling proclivities but it might well be a case of perming one from three with regards to fielding any of the new boys. The men in green and white will be buoyed by their recent success at Ibrox, and they will have been champing at the bit to build some much-needed momentum domestically during the international break.

It’s a huge week for Celtic with the opening Group E Champions League clash against Feyenoord in the De Kuip Stadium on the horizon on Tuesday night.

With that in mind, I suspect Rodgers may give an inkling as to how he might shape up in Holland with a nod to his starting XI against Dundee. Hart will be in between the sticks and he will be alongside Johnston at right back and Taylor at left back. At the heart of the central defence will be Lagerbielke and on-loan Liverpool stopper Phillips will be the man to be handed a debut for Celtic. That may seem tough luck on Scales who did brilliantly at Ibrox but Rodgers hasn’t brought Phillips in as emergency cover from Anfield to sit on the bench.

In the middle of the park, there really is only one conceivable place up for grabs as McGregor and O’Riley are certain starters after their midfield masterclass in Govan. It will be a welcome return to the first team fold from injury to the Japanese schemer Hatate. What a bonus that is for Rodgers ahead of the Champions League tie. Hatate has been sadly missed. However, Portuguese new boy Bernardo and Norwegian Thiago Holm will both see minutes in this encounter at some stage in the proceedings.

Up front, Liel Abada’s thigh injury has forced the manager’s hands ever so slightly but Celtic have the personnel to cope with the latest injury setback. Maeda will be deployed on the right wing and Yang will finally get his chance to stake a claim for more regular game time. The Korean has had to be patient and wait for his opportunity but he will start against Dundee which means another new recruit in the shape of Honduran winger Palma will have to be content on the bench, although he will take his Celtic Park bow later on. Kyogo will be entrusted to keep up his deadly start to the season after notching his third goal of the season with a thing of beauty against Rangers. It was his sixth in as many Glasgow derby matches. The talisman will increase his goal tally if he plays on the shoulder of the last defender and operates as an out-and-out striker whilst the midfield and wide men do their job of feeding him. Celtic to win by at least four.