Yamada To Start? | Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Falkirk | OneFootball

With back-to-back wins against St Mirren and Aberdeen, Celtic maintain their supremacy in Scottish football en route to defending their Premiership crown. They also conquered the League Cup last season, and Brendan Rodgers, the Hoops’ boss, must aim for absolute dominance by winning it again. They will kickstart their journey in this competition by hosting Falkirk on Friday night.

The Bairns earned a top-flight promotion by claiming the Championship title. They showed grit in the opening gameweek by securing a 2-2 draw against Dundee United, but suffered a defeat against Livingston, the other promoted side, last weekend. It would be a colossal job for John McGlynn’s men, yet they must exhibit their firmness and determination to defy the odds at Parkhead.

Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Falkirk

Defence

Rodgers has Viljami Sinisalo and the summer recruit Ross Doohan among his goalkeeper options. Yet he is expected to rely on veteran Kasper Schmeichel, who is still going strong between the sticks at 38.

Despite having ample depth and quality across the backline, the gaffer might not alter his first-team stars except for Kieran Tierney, who must be managed carefully to avoid an injury setback. Liam Scales should shift down the left, thus making way for Auston Trusty to partner with his fellow USMNT centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers in deep defence. Alistair Johnston remains the preferred choice on the right and is likely to keep his place over Anthony Ralston.

COMO, ITALY – JULY 26: Shin Yamada and Viljami Sinisalo of Celtic FC celebrate the victory at the end of the Como Cup match between Al-Ahli and Celtic FC at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on July 26, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Midfield

It was not an easy call to drop Arne Engels in favour of the summer signing Benjamin Nygren. But the Sweden international proved his work at Pittodrie by scoring and assisting in their 2-0 triumph against the Dons. He must feature again, along with Reo Hatate, in the middle of the park. The Japanese playmaker scored a stunner last weekend, and Callum McGregor orchestrates their down-the-middle runs and box-to-box movements from the base of the Bhoys’ three-man midfield. Besides Engels, Paulo Bernardo and the super sub Luke McCowan could be involved as the second-half substitutes.

Attack

Adam Idah needs to step up and deliver upfront after two below-par outings. Shin Yamada was introduced from the bench in their previous game, and the new arrival from Kawasaki Frontale should be handed a full debut, replacing the Irishman. Daizen Maeda must showcase his excellence from the left, whereas Yang Hyun-Jun might get restored on the right-hand flank after losing his starting spot to James Forrest. Johnny Kenny is another option for the ‘number 9’ role, but it remains to be seen whether Rodgers deploys him at some stage in the second half.