Celtic turn their attention back to the Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to welcome St. Johnstone to Parkhead on Saturday afternoon.
The Hoops head into this match off the back of a 4-2 win over Livingston in the quarter-finals of the SFA Cup last weekend, thanks to a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda and one strike from Kyogo Furuhashi.
That win created a semi-final tie with Aberdeen next month and the Bhoys will now look to secure a domestic cup before the end of the campaign, having been knocked out of the League Cup by Kilmarnock back in August.
For now, the attention should be on the Premiership as Celtic are currently two points behind Rangers, who do not play until Sunday, at the top of the table.
A win would send the Hoops up to first, at least until their rivals play, and would be a much-needed response to the 2-0 defeat to Hearts last time out in the division.
Brendan Rodgers could look to make some changes to the starting XI that lined up against Kilmarnock and one alteration he should make is to bring Daniel Kelly in for Paulo Bernardo, amid the club's injury issues in that position.
Latest Celtic injury news
The Hoops look set to be without their captain against St. Johnstone on Saturday as Callum McGregor continues to deal with an Achilles issue.
Rodgers recently stated that he is hoping that the Scotland international will be ready to return from his absence after the international break, which starts next week.
The Celtic skipper has not featured for the club since he scored in the 7-1 drubbing of Dundee at the end of last month, and it remains to be seen whether or not the central midfielder will make an appearance in March.
McGregor is not the only Hoops star out through injury, though, as Reo Hatate remains out with the calf injury he sustained whilst on international duty with Japan.
The manager recently confirmed that the talented dynamo is due to return to team training during the international break, with the hope that he can feature against Livingston in the Premiership at the end of this month.
These injury blows mean that Rodgers is limited in what he can do with his midfield trio against St. Johnstone on Saturday, as Kelly and Odin Thiago Holm were his only substitutes for those positions last time out.
Holm has been an unused substitute in each of the club's last five matches in all competitions and has only made eight appearances – with two of those coming as a starter – in the Premiership since his permanent move to Glasgow last summer.
Kelly must now finally be unleashed from the start in the Premiership as the Norwegian youngster is seemingly out of favour, and Bernardo has struggled in recent games.
Paulo Bernardo's recent struggles for Celtic
The 22-year-old whiz, who is currently on loan from Portuguese giants Benfica, has been fairly unimpressive in his recent performances for the Scottish giants.
Bernardo started against Livingston last time out in the SFA Cup but was substituted with the score at 2-2 in the 61st minute after failing to score or assist any goals in just over an hour on the pitch.
That display came after the young gem had also started against Hearts at Tynecastle in Celtic's last Premiership match. His outing that day only lasted 45 minutes as Rodgers opted to haul him off after an uneventful first-half display.
He failed to register a shot on target or create a single chance for his teammates, which highlights how little the midfielder offered in possession. Bernardo was also dribbled past (twice) as many times as he completed tackles, as the Jam Tarts players found it too easy to get the better of him.
Appearances
15
Starts
10
Goals
2
Assists
2
Key passes per game
0.5
Duel success rate
48%
As you can see in the table above, the attacking midfielder has rarely provided quality at the top end of the pitch, with both of those assists coming in one match against St Mirren on New Year's Day, particularly with less than one chance created per game.
Rodgers must now unleash the teenage whiz – Kelly – from the start due to Bernardo's underwhelming displays and the injuries to Hatate and McGregor.
Daniel Kelly's Celtic stats this season
The 18-year-old talent has burst onto the scene in the first-team this season and has shown glimpses of quality in his limited minutes for the side so far.
He has made four appearances as a substitute for the Scottish giants, with two outings in the Premiership and two in the SFA Cup – including coming on for Bernardo against Livingston last time out.
Kelly, who was recently hailed as a "real powerhouse" by Scotland U18 boss Billy Stark, has already scored his first senior goal for the club with a fantastic finish against Dundee in the 7-1 win for Celtic last month.
Minutes played
45
Goals
1
Pass accuracy
83%
Dribble success rate
100%
Interceptions
1
Hyun-jun Yang cut the ball back across the box for the naturally left-footed whiz to curl the ball into the back of the net with his weaker right foot.
That strike came after the teenage dynamo had scored three goals in 22 games for Celtic at youth level during the first half of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Hoops youngster could, therefore, offer a similar or greater goalscoring threat in comparison to Bernardo, who has only scored two goals in 15 Premiership matches.
Kelly has not made his full first-team debut for the club yet, with only cameo appearances under his belt to date, and Rodgers must finally unleash him from the start to see what the talented maestro can produce.
Bernardo's recent performances do not suggest that he deserves to keep his place in the starting XI and the injuries to Hatate and McGregor have provided the manager with the perfect opportunity to bring the B team star in for what could be his breakthrough moment in the senior team.
