What should have been a day of celebration with friends and family converging to watch their team during the festive period has been turned into a somewhat depressing affair after the SNP led administration decided that 500 fans is the arbitrary safe number permitted into football stadia for the foreseeable future – it won’t, as they claim, just be for a few weeks, we all know how this pans out.
There is also the element of doubt that will hover over the fixture like a dark cloud until the game kicks off, St Mirren – who were originally quite happy to play Celtic with a depleted team – have tried and failed to get it called off, maybe their manager going to a 50,000 seater stadium without a mask on wasn’t the best idea after all – not a good look.
As it is though, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have to pick his team based on one game at a time, there is no point looking ahead to the Aberdeen and Old Firm games because, they have both been postponed until the new year.
With this in mind, this is the team I think he’ll go with to line up against a depleted St Mirren:
I just think Ianis Hagi needs a day off, take him out the team for a few games and let him go again after the winter break, we have other options and as we have seen when Fashion Sakala or Scott Wright has played on the opposite flank to Ryan Kent we have looked more dangerous.
In midfield, Gio’s preferred pairing is Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield, I’d still like to see Juninho Bacuna given more of a chance in this formation especially at home against teams that we will dominate possession, long-term, he could well be the player that fills that role.
As with when we faced Dundee United, I’d expected a limited and restricted game plan from our opponents so patience will be required if we can’t get an early goal, hopefully though, seeing as it’s the season of good will, St Mirren won’t be quite as stubborn in gifting us the three points.