Tennents Scottish Cup Third Round
Celtic Park
Kick off 3.00 pm
Celtic's first opponents in the Scottish Cup this season are Ross County.
Ross County are out to cause an upset, and we know all about those in the Scottish Cup. They currently sit fourth in the First Division and could prove a tricky outfit, with players like Jim Hamilton and David Hannah in their squad.
Martin O'Neill will have to choose a fairly strong side, resting a few big name players. I don't expect to see Larsson, Sutton or Lennon, but there are a few guys who will want to start the game. Craig Beattie, Shaun Maloney and Ross Wallace are all out to prove a point, Momo Sylla should get a start as he is commiting himself to Celtic instead of playing in the African Nations Cup.
The big question is whether Liam Miller will play today, or for the rest of the season. If I were Celtic manager, I would not have him in the Hoops again, but if he does play, the fans should lay off him and certainly do not boo or jeer. That is hun-like behaviour and is not acceptable from Celtic fans.
Whatever the team, Celtic should be able to cancel out any worries of a cup upset. After being knocked out f the CIS Cup in December, it would be nice to get a run going in the Scotish.
At £17 a ticket, and with two away games coming up, there will not be a full house tomorrow. Celtic fans can't be expected to fork out crazy money for small games like tomorrow, and the club should really have a look at this. However, I expect around 25,000 at the game, which is probably double the Scottish average for these games.
Enjoy the game.
Celtic-Mad Prediction: Celtic 4-1 Ross County