Celtic Predicted XI vs Dundee… Brendan Rodgers drops ‘elite’ 21-year-old as ‘terrific’ 26-year-old starts

Mon 25 December 2023 14:00, UK

Celtic will look to build on their performance against Livingston with another good win over Dundee tomorrow at Dens Park.

The 2-0 win over Livingston will be a huge confidence booster to the Celtic team and Brendan Rodgers will look to negotiate a potential banana skin on Boxing Day as he looks to ensure he bolsters his lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership with another vital three points.

With almost all of the team impressing on Saturday, it is hard to say who will drop in or drop out but I think there is one position that the Celtic manager needs to change to ensure his chances of picking up the spoils.

So here is my Celtic Predicted XI to face The Dark Blues.

Paulo Bernardo drops to the Celtic bench vs Dundee

The Portuguese midfielder was preferred to start against Livingston on Saturday but didn’t really produce a performance of note.

In fact, Bernardo has struggled to make any kind of an impact since his loan move from Benfica in the summer.

Brendan Rodgers seems to draft him in for Champions League fixtures but against Livingston on Saturday, the ‘elite‘ 21-year-old failed to create any chances, had just one shot on target and only had 65 touches in the 80 minutes he was on the pitch. []

Not very impressive stats for a player who is meant to be a creative midfielder.

Tomoki Iwata must start for Celtic vs Dundee

The Japanese midfielder has been impressive whenever he has been called upon by Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic manager said the terrific midfielder would have been a regular had injuries not hampered his season.

Heart of Midlothian v Celtic FC - Cinch Scottish Premiership — Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Iwata was the one player who kept the Kilmarnock attack at bay in the 2-1 loss at Rugby Park and it is no coincidence that Celtic went on to lose that game when he was subbed off.

In the 4-1 against Hearts, Iwata was excellent and even got himself on the scoresheet. Rodgers must utilise him again tomorrow and push Callum McGregor up to help support the Celtic attack in that more forward role.

The Hoops captain was superb in that role recently and he would be far more effective than Paulo Bernardo.