{"id":21616,"date":"2026-01-22T15:26:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/01\/22\/donovan-to-start-predicted-4-3-3-celtic-lineup-to-face-bologna-in-the-europa-league\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T15:26:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:26:29","slug":"donovan-to-start-predicted-4-3-3-celtic-lineup-to-face-bologna-in-the-europa-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/01\/22\/donovan-to-start-predicted-4-3-3-celtic-lineup-to-face-bologna-in-the-europa-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Donovan To Start? | Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Bologna In The Europa League"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Celtic are back on track in the Premiership race following the return of Martin O\u2019Neill to the dugout for the remainder of the season. However, their future in Europe is hanging by a thread, as they must secure a result against Bologna at Renato Dall\u2019Ara on Thursday night to keep their hopes alive for a spot in the Europa League<\/a> knockouts.<\/p>\n

Bologna, on the other hand, have an outside chance to secure a \u2018top eight\u2019 finish. The remaining two group phase encounters are must-wins for the Serie A side to receive a bye to the round of 16, and the Hoops, therefore, must step up their game to script an upset on the road.<\/p>\n

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

Despite being at the twilight of his career, veteran Kasper Schmeichel remains the preferred option between the sticks ahead of Viljami Sinisalo. The Danish ace must be prepared for a busy night in Italy against the likes of Riccardo Orsolini and Santiago Castro.<\/p>\n

\"Celtic
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS \u2013 NOVEMBER 27: Anis Hadj Moussa of Feyenoord passes the ball whilst under pressure from Arne Engels of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League 2025\/26 League Phase MD5 match between Feyenoord and Celtic FC at De Kuip on November 27, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Julian Araujo\u2019s ineligibility and Alistair Johnston\u2019s injury should see Colby Donovan feature down the right over Anthony Ralston for his flair and aggression. Auston Trusty and Liam Scales are expected to pair up in the heart of the backline, and the fitness woes of Marcelo Saracchi leave the Celts with Kieran Tierney as the only designated left fullback. Stephen Welsh, recalled from his Motherwell loan, is not eligible in Europe, and the season-ending injury of Cameron Carter-Vickers would see Dane Murray grab a place among the subs, being the only alternative for the centre-back role.<\/p>\n

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

Skipper Callum McGregor must drive the game from the deep as a \u2018number six\u2019. The skipper should partner with Arne Engels, who has emerged as a transfer target for RB Leipzig. Paulo Bernardo, an understudy to the first-team duo, might get introduced as a second-half substitute.<\/p>\n

Yang Hyun-jun is in blistering form down the right, and a spectacular goal against Auchinleck Talbot in the FA Cup should boost Sebastian Tounekti\u2019s confidence, given his struggle with finishing. Benjamin Nygren must get the nod as a \u2018number 10\u2019 for his creativity and scoring attributes. Reo Hatate and Luke McCowan might be brought in at some stage to inject fresh legs in the middle of the park.<\/p>\n

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

Daizen Maeda is irreplaceable up top, with Kelechi Iheanacho still recovering from a hamstring injury. Johnny Kenny would also be there to challenge and cover the Celtic<\/a> hitman high up the pitch.<\/p>\n

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

Celtic are back on track in the Premiership race following the return of Martin O\u2019Neill to the dugout for the remainder of the season. However, their future in Europe is hanging by a thread, as they must secure a result against Bologna at Renato Dall\u2019Ara on Thursday night to keep their hopes alive for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12953,"featured_media":21617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21616","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\/21616","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=21616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}