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Opinion: Celtic could unleash 27-year-old for first Champions League start

Read Sport logo Read Sport 12.09.2022 19:51:56 johnreid
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport

It will be interesting to see the team that Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou picks for the upcoming Champions League fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday the 14th of September.

There could be changes made from the Celtic side that started in the opening group stage match against Real Madrid, with one change made in particular, and that could be Kyogo replacing Georgios Giakoumakis. The 27-year-old didn't start against Madrid as he was recovering from a shoulder injury picked up against Rangers in the Hoops' last Premiership game.

The Japanese forward would have more time to recover from his injury as the Bhoys' game against Livingston was cancelled, and as a result it would not be a surprise to see him unleashed from the start in Poland in what would be his first Champions League group stage start for Ange Postecoglou's side.

If Postecoglou is picking his strongest side for the game against Shakhtar, and you have to imagine that he will be, then Kyogo will be returning to the Celtic starting line-up, as not only is he Celtic's best striker, but he has also been in excellent form for the Bhoys in the early weeks of the 2022/23 season. 

He has scored six goals in seven appearances for the Bhoys, and he has flourished for the Hoops this season with the attacking football that Postecoglou likes to play. 

It would have been a concern for the Hoops when Kyogo initially suffered his shoulder injury, as there would have been a fear that he might have missed a number of games. Thankfully that didn't happen, as even though he wasn't fit enough to start against Madrid, the forward was able to feature for the Bhoys in the second-half of the Champions League fixture.

A week on from the Madrid game, Kyogo should be far fitter than he was when the Hoops made their return to the Champions League group stages, and that should mean that the striker starts for the Bhoys in Poland.

A win for Celtic would give the Hoops a real chance of making progress in Europe this season, and having the strongest team available would obviously help with that, and any time Kyogo starts for the Bhoys gives the team a much better chance of getting a result.

That is why when the Hoops name their team to start against Shakhtar, Kyogo has to be in the starting line-up, as Celtic will have a much better chance of getting the three points that will kickstart the Hoops' Champions League campaign. 

lundi 12 septembre 2022 22:51:56 Categories: Read Sport

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