OPINION
After Celtic were left frustrated by FK Suduva in their Europa League qualifier on Thursday evening, manager Brendan Rodgers has got to find the right balance when they return to league action on Sunday.
The Hoops will play host to Hamilton after a two week gap since their last Premiership game, with a Scottish League Cup win over Partick Thistle coming before the 1-1 draw with the Lithuanian side in midweek.
Returning to Glasgow, the Bhoys and their manager know they have to keep one eye on next week’s crunch second leg, meaning there will likely be a number of familiar faces rested from the domestic clash.
As such, Rodgers is expected to axe seven of his senior stars from the starting XI against Hamilton, with Scott Bain, Mikael Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Scott Sinclair, Tom Rogic, Jonny Hayes and Leigh Griffiths coming in for Craig Gordon, Jozo Simunovic, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, Mikey Johnston, James Forrest and Moussa Dembele.
Rodgers is struggling with options at the back and with the likes of Gordon and Tierney likely to be rested alongside the numerous absentees, it is set to be up to Mikael Lustig to join Kristoffer Ajer at the heart of the defence.
Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham are the chosen duo in midfield, having rarely been tested against Suduva, while up front it is all change, with Griffiths set to take over from Dembele in leading the line.
He will likely be supported by the returning Sinclair, who started in the League Cup outing last weekend, Rogic and the rarely seen winger Jonny Hayes, who has appeared just twice in the club’s 10 matches so far this season, having been completely left out the squad who travelled to Lithuania.