The most anticipated fixture of the weekend sees the champions travel to Pittodrie to face their closest challengers last season, written by Craig Cairns.
Team Selection
Predicting line ups for this match has been made more difficult by the break for internationals and the closing of the transfer window since the previous round of Premiership matches. Nowhere is change more prominent than the Celtic backline. Virgil van Dijk has moved on to Southampton and two central defenders have been added in the shape of Jozo Šimunović and Tyler Blackett. Dedryck Boyata is likely to retain his place – despite a dip in form after an impressive start to his Celtic career – as manager Ronny Deila will likely not want to throw a completely new central defensive partnership into such a big match. The fee paid for Šimunović suggests he is an instant replacement for Van Dijk, therefore, I expect him to make his debut alongside Boyata.
Deila faces a dilemma at full-back as well. A Deilemma, if you will. If Mikael Lustig has recovered fully he should be favoured. Saidy Janko is still settling in after arriving in the summer and Aberdeen are strong in wide areas. Lustig is a more defensive option and will also be more helpful when attacking and defending set-pieces – an area likely to be key in this match. For similar reasons, and with Niall McGinn starting on the right for Aberdeen, we may see Charlie Mulgrew chosen ahead of Emilio Izaguirre at left-back. McGinn has scored three, assisted four and played a key part in two further goals for Aberdeen so far this season and may be able to expose the space Izaguirre is likely to leave behind him.
That space – and Izaguirre’s defensive deficiencies in general – has been severely exposed in recent matches. Of the 11 goals Celtic have conceded in their previous six games, six have been as a result, directly or indirectly, of being attacked down their left side. Michael O’Halloran cut in from that side to cross for St Johnstone’s opener two weeks ago, the build up to Malmö’s corner – from which they scored – came when Izaguirre was caught upfield and the Swedes attacked that side, while the cross for Jo Inge Berget’s first goal in the previous leg came from Izaguirre’s side. As well as this, the Honduran was involved in the conceding of the penalty versus Dundee United and committed the foul to concede one versus Kilmarnock, which cost the side two points. Earlier in that game, he failed to stop the cross for Josh Magennis’s equaliser.
Derek McInnes also has a dilemma in defence. A Del-emma, if you will. Andrew Considine has partnered Ash Taylor effectively since moving from left-back though could potentially be moved back there for two reasons. Firstly, McInnes may recognise the threat Celtic pose from set-pieces – Celtic have scored six goals from corners or free kicks so far this season – and opt for more height. The other reason may be to return the drive and energy of Graeme Shinnie to the centre of midfield.
The last time the sides met, McInnes, perhaps inspired by Marley Watkins’s display against Celtic a few weeks before, fielded Jonny Hayes as a striker, looking to take advantage of the Champion’s high defensive line. Even though this is unlikely to be repeated, McInnes could throw Celtic a curveball and line up with a back three – like they did versus Rijeka – opting for safety first due to his poor record against the champions. Guessing an Aberdeen line up is never easy, though my instinct tells me that McInnes will trust the form his back four have been in and resist making changes.
The big question for the home side is how they will look in attack. In the European matches, David Goodwillie was preferred to Adam Rooney in the lone striker system for his ability to link with the undoubted quality they possess in midfield. Goodwillie repaid the faith the manager paid in him by chalking up three assists over that short stint in Europe and has since added three more in the league. The Goodwillie European experiment was perhaps a precursor for how McInnes will go about these types of matches, especially given Rooney’s lack of goals against Saturday’s opponents.
This will likely mean a three-man central midfield for Aberdeen, with Kenny McLean the most advanced but asked to drop deeper when his side are out of possession. McInnes is unlikely to field a midfield two against Celtic’s three and, because of this, Rooney will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Aside from when resting players, Celtic’s front six has been pretty much settled recently with the only real debate being for the right-sided position. Gary Mackay-Steven had the spot nailed down for a while but seems to have relinquished it to an injury-free James Forrest. Forrest was also selected for Scotland to face the world champions the other night and will likely be selected for this match as long as he isn’t rested to protect him from any relapses. Not only will Forrest give Shinnie something to think about before bombing forward, he will be a threat with pace on the counter when Aberdeen, the home side, inevitably push forward.
Key battles
Leigh Griffiths v Ash Taylor & Andrew Considine
The league’s top scorer with five, and who has scored a further three in Europe, faces up against the stingiest defence in the country who have conceded just once in five league matches. Griffiths thrives on space behind defences and will likely get opportunities when Aberdeen push forward. Considine will provide cover with pace and both should have the beating of Griffiths aerially – despite the striker’s vast improvement in this area.
Emilio Izaguirre/Charlie Mulgrew v Niall McGinn
Whoever is selected will be required to keep a close eye on Aberdeen’s most potent attacking threat. If it is Mulgrew, he will be required to remain disciplined and not follow McGinn infield. If Izaguirre is selected, he will be asked to think about the presence of the Northern Irishman before pushing forward. Either way, this battle will be a key factor in this match.
Aberdeen’s undoubted quality v Aberdeen’s inferiority complex
Aberdeen are currently a very strong side who rarely concede and usually score. Against Dundee and Partick Thistle, McInnes’s side bode their time and eventually won both matches comfortably, managing the game like dominant sides often do. However, they will have to overcome their apparent mental block versus Celtic. Four times they faced the eventual champions last season and they lost all four. Some may point to the respective recent form of the sides, though similar noises were made before the Dons headed to Celtic Park and lost 4-0 in March.
Possible line ups
Aberdeen: Ward; Logan, Taylor, Considine, Shinnie; Jack, Flood; McGinn, McLean, Hayes; Goodwillie.
Celtic: Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Suminovic, Izaguirre/Mulgrew; Brown, Bitton; Forrest/GMS, Johansen, Armstrong; Griffiths.