Celtic return to European action on Wednesday night as they prepare to welcome Belgian side Club Brugge to Glasgow in the Champions League.
The Hoops have played twice in the Scottish Premiership, and had an international break, since their last outing on the European stage, which was their 3-1 win over RB Leipzig at Parkhead earlier this month.
Two goals from winger Nicolas Kuhn and one from Reo Hatate secured all three points for the Scottish giants against the Bundesliga side, and that was the second win in four outings for the club in the competition.
Brendan Rodgers’ team come into this clash with Brugge, though, off the back of an emphatic 4-1 win away at Hearts in their last Premiership game.
Kyogo Furuhashi and Kuhn scored the opening two goals in the game, within the space of five minutes in the 55th and 60th, before substitute Adam Idah came off the bench to score twice to seal the win for the Hoops.
How Celtic's attack could line up against Brugge
After the Ireland international’s burst off the bench against Hearts, Rodgers could have a decision to make in the centre-forward position against Brugge on Wednesday.
Kyogo has not enjoyed a perfect start to the campaign in the Champions League, with a return of one goal from 1.89 xG and zero assists in four appearances and three starts.
Meanwhile, Idah has scored one goal from 1.26 xG and zero assists in four outings, although he has only started one of the games – the 0-0 draw with Atalanta.
On the flanks, Daizen Maeda and Kuhn should retain their positions in the starting XI, given the impact that they have made in the competitions this season.
Appearances
4
4
xG
1.58
0.56
Goals
2
2
Assists
0
1
Big chances created
0
2
As you can see in the table above, both players have outscored Idah and Kyogo respectively, and outperformed their xG tallies, whilst Kuhn has also provided an assist.
The Celtic wide men have showcased their ability to make a difference in the final third and should both be unleashed from the start against Brugge, as they could use their quality to win the game for the Hoops – particularly with the strikers struggling to consistently find the back of the net.
Whilst Rodgers will have plenty of focus on how his team will attack the game at Parkhead, the Northern Irish head coach will also be well aware of the threat that the Belgian side pose, particularly with their in-form left-winger Christos Tzolis set to star.
Christos Tzolis' form for Club Brugge this season
The Greek international’s quality will already be well-known to one of the players in the Celtic squad, as Adam Idah played alongside him during their time at Norwich City.
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They played 16 matches together in England and the Irish forward may be able to provide the group with a little bit of insight on him thanks to that.
The coaching staff will, however, have plenty of footage of his performances for Brugge this season to show the players, to make them aware of the threat that he poses to the defence.
Tzolis joined the Belgian side on a permanent deal from Fortuna Dusseldorf, shortly after he had left Norwich to sign for the German team, and has thrived in his new environment, with a return of eight goals and two assists in 20 appearances.
The 22-year-old star, who has scored one goal and created six chances in four Champions League games, enjoyed his best performance of the season against Sint-Truidense in the Pro League on Saturday.
Minutes played
58
xG
1.62
Goals
4
Duels won
4/6
Dribbles completed
2/2
As you can see in the table above, Tzolis, incredibly, found the back of the net four times in just 58 minutes from the left flank in the league in his last match.
Also a scorer in his previous match before that for Finland, the former Norwich City winger clearly, given his form in the Pro League and the Champions League, poses a huge threat to Celtic ahead of the clash on Wednesday night.
However, Rodgers may not need to worry too much about the forward because he has a right-back in his squad, in Alistair Johnston, who can combat the Brugge gem.
Why Alistair Johnston is equipped to deal with Tzolis
The Celtic full-back, who was recently hailed for his “phenomenal” work rate by the manager, must be unleashed once again from the start because he has the ability at both ends of the pitch to deal with Tzolis’ quality.
Firstly, Johnston’s strong defensive work gives him the best chance to prevent the Greek star from influencing the game in the final third as a scorer or a creator.
In the Champions League this season, the £3.5m Canada international ranks third in the squad for tackles (2.8) per game and second for interceptions (one) per match, whilst also ranking first in both statistics among full-backs.
Johnston has also won 71% of his ground duels and 71% of his aerial battles in his four appearances in Europe this term, which shows that he has been able to dominate opposition players in physical contests to stop them from beating him.
In those four games, no left winger has provided a goal or an assist against Celtic. Even in the 7-1 defeat to Dortmund, Jamie Gittens did not score or assist any goals and failed with four of his five dribble attempts.
Appearances
12
Sofascore rating
7.80
Goals
4
Assists
3
Big chances created
8
Key passes per game
1.9
As you can see in the table above, Johnston also has the attacking quality to push Tzolis, or any winger, back by forcing them to track back and help out their full-back, as he provides a threat as a scorer and a creator from right-back.
Therefore, the Canadian star could play an incredibly important role on Wednesday night by providing the defensive strength and attacking quality to combat the threat of Tzolis.
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