{"id":19463,"date":"2025-12-16T23:28:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T23:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2025\/12\/16\/donovan-should-start-predicted-3-4-2-1-celtic-lineup-to-face-dundee-united\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T23:28:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T23:28:05","slug":"donovan-should-start-predicted-3-4-2-1-celtic-lineup-to-face-dundee-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2025\/12\/16\/donovan-should-start-predicted-3-4-2-1-celtic-lineup-to-face-dundee-united\/","title":{"rendered":"Donovan Should Start | Predicted 3-4-2-1 Celtic Lineup To Face Dundee United"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Wilfried Nancy must be in a dilemma over his style of play following three successive defeats across three different competitions since being appointed as the new Celtic boss. The most recent one was the League Cup final, where St Mirren outplayed the Hoops en route to scripting a 3-1 triumph. The Frenchman does not have enough ammunition to execute a 3-4-2-1 formation, and it remains to be seen whether he changes his gameplan on Wednesday night against Dundee United at Tannadice.<\/p>\n

The Tangerines have not won in their last seven fixtures (4D 3L), but Jim Goodwin should fancy a chance against the champions, given the ongoing conundrum at Parkhead. Celtic<\/a> claimed an emphatic 5-0 win when they visited Dundee United towards the closure of the previous campaign; however, a similar outcome seems unlikely, unless the gaffer turns things around, overcoming the weekend disappointment.<\/p>\n

Defence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kasper Schmeichel is having a tough time between the sticks, as the veteran Dane has conceded 8 goals over the past three outings. Celtic must keep up the pace with league leaders Hearts, and the custodian\u2019s leadership from the last line of defence would be crucial for the Glasgow giants.<\/p>\n

\"Celtic
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND \u2013 DECEMBER 11: Zeki Celik of AS Roma is challenged by Kieran Tierney of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League 2025\/26 League Phase MD6 match between Celtic FC and AS Roma at Celtic Park on December 11, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cameron Carter-Vickers\u2019 injury has decimated the Bhoys\u2019 defence in depth. Although the young duo of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Dane Murray are there among the central defensive options, Nancy should stick with Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney, who offer experience in the heart of the backline.<\/p>\n

Midfield<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Similarly, Alistair Johnston and Marcelo Saracchi\u2019s injury absences limit them in the wingback roles. Anthony Ralston does not bring enough threat with overlapping runs, crosses, and cut-ins from the right-hand flank, whereas Sebastian Tounekti, an outright winger, lacks the balance down the left. Colby Donovan would be a better fit in place of Ralston, but the attacking threat of Tounekti could see him retain his position. Arne Engels and Callum McGregor are viewed as the preferred central midfielders, who are expected to make down-the-middle runs and contribute to transitions. Paulo Bernardo, struggling for minutes, should be brought in as a second-half substitute.<\/p>\n

> <\/ins> <\/p>\n

Luke McCowan, Michael-Ange Balikwisha and James Forrest would find it difficult to fit in Nancy\u2019s system. Benjamin Nygren might return to the starting XI and form a pair alongside Reo Hatate as midfield attackers.<\/p>\n

Attack<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kelechi Iheanacho has suffered another injury, which would rule him out for a while. Johnny Kenny replaced him against the Buddies, but the Celtic boss should opt for Daizen Maeda up top for his mobility and poaching skills.<\/p>\n

\"football<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wilfried Nancy must be in a dilemma over his style of play following three successive defeats across three different competitions since being appointed as the new Celtic boss. The most recent one was the League Cup final, where St Mirren outplayed the Hoops en route to scripting a 3-1 triumph. The Frenchman does not have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12953,"featured_media":19464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12953"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}