Celtic are due to return to action in the Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to host Hearts at Parkhead after the international break.
The Hoops are currently 13 points clear at the top of the table and will be hoping to wrap up the title within the next few weeks, before concentrating on winning the SFA Cup to complete a domestic treble.
Brendan Rodgers’ side did suffer a small setback last time out, though, as they were beaten 3-2 at Parkhead by their city rivals Rangers, who scored an 88th-minute winner.
A win against the Ibrox side would have sent them a staggering 19 points clear at the top of the table and put them one step closer to the league, but now they will have to wait a little bit longer.
There were some lessons to be learned for Rodgers and his team in that humbling defeat to Rangers in front of their home crowd, though, that can be used in the final couple of months of the season.
One was that central defender Maik Nawrocki should keep his place in the team and be given more minutes between now and the end of the season.
Why Maik Nawrocki could improve Celtic's defence
It is fair to say that Celtic have had the best defence in the Premiership this season. They have only conceded 20 goals in 30 matches – eight fewer than any other club – and have kept the most clean sheets in the division – 19.
That does not mean, however, that it is impossible for Rodgers to improve the backline in the coming weeks and months, or ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Starts
19
16
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.4
1.7
Ball recoveries per game
3.4
3.8
Error led to shot
4
1
Error led to goal
1
0
Penalties committed
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales have combined for six errors that have led to shots or goals for the opposition, as well as one penalty committed, in the left centre-back position in the league this season.
This suggests that Celtic could improve their defence by cutting out the avoidable mistakes when playing out from the back or when attempting to make clearances inside the box.
Since the start of last season, Nawrocki has played 11 times in the Premiership for the Scottish giants and he is yet to make a single error that has led to a shot, a goal, or a penalty for the opposition.
The Polish titan won 70% of his duels and made four interceptions, without being dribbled past once, in the game against Rangers, which was his first start of the campaign.
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Nawrocki’s outstanding first appearance of the league season, coupled with his error-less 2023/24 campaign, suggests that he could offer more defensive solidity than Trusty and Scales, which is why he could improve Celtic’s defence in the left-sided centre-back role.
Rodgers could, now, repeat the blinder he played by unleashing the Polish ace for the first time this season against Rangers, as his first-choice goalkeeper is set to be out against Hearts.
The latest on Kasper Schmeichel's fitness
Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo for Denmark against Portugal during the international break, but he also suffered a shoulder injury in that match that could see him miss a period of the season.
According to The Scottish Sun, the Danish colossus is not expected to be a long-term absentee, with a view to it extending into next season, but he is due to be out of action for the foreseeable.
The report claims that the former Leicester City stopper will have an MRI scan to determine the exact length of his absence, with the first game he is set to miss coming against Hearts this weekend.
Celtic have the experienced, 33-year-old, Scott Bain, who has played 78 matches for the club in his career, and he could be viewed as the ‘safe’ option between the sticks this weekend.
However, Rodgers should, instead, call upon 23-year-old Viljami Sinisalo to make his Premiership debut for the Scottish giants, in the hope that he can repeat Nawrocki’s success in his first start of the season against Rangers.
Celtic could hit the jackpot with Viljami Sinisalo
The Finland international made the move to Parkhead last summer from Premier League side Aston Villa on a permanent deal and has rarely been seen on the pitch for the Hoops.
To date, Sinisalo’s only appearance in any competition for Celtic came in a 5-0 win over Raith Rovers in the SFA Cup, which also means that he has yet to concede a goal for the club.
The 23-year-old titan’s form for Finland and for Exeter on loan in the 2023/24 campaign, though, suggests that the potential is there for him to be a star for the Hoops.
As you can see in the clip above, Sinisalo has already shown that he can produce big saves on the international stage for his country, with that exceptional double save last summer.
His form on loan at Exeter in the English League One last season also showed that he is an excellent shot-stopper who could catch the eye of the Celtic supporters, if he can translate his performances over to the Premiership.
Appearances
45
Penalties saved
3/8
Goals prevented
+5.45
Save success rate
70%
Ball recoveries per game
9.8
Ground duel success rate
69%
As you can see in the table above, Sinisalo played all bar one of Exeter’s games in the league last season and conceded 5.45 goals fewer than expected based on the xG of the shots against him.
Schmeichel, meanwhile, has conceded 1.08 fewer than expected in the Premiership this term, which speaks to just how impressive the Finnish star’s form was in the 2023/24 campaign.
This suggests that the potential is there for Sinisalo to be even better than the great Dane as a shot-stopper, if he can reach those levels in the Scottish top-flight, by making huge saves to bail his team out.
That is why Rodgers must unleash the Finland international ahead of the experienced Bain this weekend, because he could emerge as a star performer for Celtic.
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Therefore, the Hoops could hit the jackpot by unearthing an international goalkeeper who has the quality to replace Schmeichel in the future, as the experience he could gain from these matches could help him to settle in as the Danish ace’s successor further down the line.