Idah To Start? | Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Kairat In The Champions League | OneFootball

It was a stroll in the park for Celtic over the weekend when they claimed a commanding 4-1 win against Falkirk to commence their League Cup journey. But a bigger test awaits the Celts on Wednesday night, with Kazakh outfit Kairat set to travel to Glasgow for the first leg of the Champions League play-off.

Kairat knocked Slovan Bratislava out in the previous round to clash heads with Brendan Rodgers’ Bhoys. One of them will make it to the main draw of this prestigious competition, and the hosts, therefore, must aim for an emphatic victory to be in the driver’s seat before next week’s trip to Kazakhstan.

Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Kairat

Defence

Kasper Schmeichel was rested against the Bairns in favour of Viljami Sinisalo. But the veteran Dane should reclaim his place between the sticks, replacing the Finnish custodian.

Dane Murphy, the Hoops’ academy graduate, scored on Friday night. The ceiling his high for the youngster, but he needs time to secure a starting status ahead of Cameron Carter-Vickers. The USMNT ace must return in the heart of the backline, and so should Liam Scales, in place of Auston Trusty. Alistair Johnston and Kieran Tierney remain irreplaceable down the wide ahead of Anthony Ralston and Hayato Inamura. The latter has been left out of Celtic’s Champions League squad as he is expected to head out on loan for regular game time.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 15: Daizen Maeda of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Midfield

Despite grabbing a start in their Cup tie, Arne Engels has slipped down the pecking order following Benjamin Nygren’s arrival. The Sweden international should get the nod as a ‘number 8′, along with Reo Hatate, who remains key to Rodgers’ free-flowing football. Skipper Callum McGregor would orchestrate the game from the base, allowing the central midfield pair to occupy the half-spaces, make down-the-middle runs and operate in the advanced areas with box-to-box movements. Besides Engels, Paulo Bernando and Luke McCowan might get introduced as second-half substitutes.

Attack

Daizen Maeda would keep his place on the left as he broke the deadlock against Falkirk midway through the first half. His finesse and scoring traits make him the mainstay of the Celtic attack. But the concerns remain over Adam Idah’s form, as the Irishman has struggled so far while spearheading the attack. Yet he might get the nod over Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada, unless the club rope in another ‘number 9’ by the end of this month. James Forrest’s experience could get precedence over Yang Hyun-Jun’s flair on the right, but the gaffer must bring in another wide attacker due to Jota’s long-term injury absence.