O’Neill To Make Changes At The Back? | Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup To Face Falkirk

Despite postponing their weekend’s Premiership encounter to focus on the decisive UEFA Champions League playoff outing against LASK, Celtic were all over the place, failing to defend a four-goal cushion (on aggregate) and suffering a 5-1 humiliation in Austria. Martin O’Neill’s men, now demoted to the Europa League, must shake off the midweek shambles and bounce back against Falkirk on Saturday afternoon.

The Bairns finished strong last season following their top-flight promotion. But the Hoops were unfazed, winning in all five meetings across competitions. Four of them were held at Parkhead, and the Hoops are expected to extend the streak unless the visitors cause an upset.

The damage was already done when Viljami Sinisalo stopped Samuel Adeniran from the spot, thus denying him a hat-trick in the closing minutes of the LASK tie. The Finnish ace conceded five at Raiffeisen Arena, but he must aim for a third successive clean sheet at Celtic Park this weekend.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 19: Camilo Duran of Celtic celebrates with teammate Colby Donovan after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 play-offs first-leg match between Celtic and LASK at Celtic Park on August 19, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

O’Neill must be sweating over Colby Donovan, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kieran Tierney’s fitness, as the trio could not finish the Thursday night contest. The veteran Irishman might have Carter-Vickers and Tierney available for selection; however, with Alistair Johnston ruled out for months, he could bank on Anthony Ralston down the right if Donovan doesn’t recover in time. Carter-Vickers is not up to speed yet after missing nine months of action due to an Achilles injury. The gaffer should be careful with his gametime and rotate him with Liam Scales in the heart of the backline. Auston Trusty must retain his place ahead of Dane Murray.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was suspended in Europe, would be available for selection. But the club have brought in Mika Baur, who is likely to retain his starting status deep in the midfield alongside skipper Callum McGregor. Besides Oxlade-Chamberlain, Reo Hatate and Luke McCowan could feature as second-half substitutes.

Benjamin Nygren was dreadful against LASK, but the Swedish ace remains irreplaceable for his ability to find the net as an advanced playmaker. Haissem Hassana is still working on fitness, and the Egyptian, along with James Forrest and Sebastian Tounekti, could find themselves on the bench behind Camilo Duran and Hyun-Jun Yang on the flanks.

Kasper Hogh lasted the entire 120 minutes of Thursday’s loss, but he looked fatigued late in the match. The Danish hitman might recover for tomorrow and retain his ‘number 9’ slot ahead of Johnny Kenny and Callum Osmand.