There’s a storm brewing in the sky and also in the stands at Celtic Park as their largest fan group the Green Brigade have been banished from attending matches.
Brendan Rodgers has proved a dab hand as Celtic boss to turn attention back to the action on the pitch and any missing focus will be seized upon by opponents St Mirren. Stephen Robinson’s side were a good watch last year and have improved this campaign as they eye a potential European tilt if they keep it up.
Celtic have had a deluge of away challenges but stayed tough and mood in the camp remains high despite Saturday’s misfiring effort in the 0-0 draw with Hibs. And they know three points tonight will keep them, at worst, five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with rivals Rangers taking on Dundee at a rain-soaked Dens Park.
But Rodgers and Robinson will have their eyes fixed on events in Glasgow’s east end as the visitors aim to remain unbeaten on their travels this campaign.
Celtic: Starting XI: Hart, Johnston, Phillips, Scales, Taylor, McGregor (C), O’Riley, Turnbull, Forrest, Palma, Kyogo. Subs: Bain, Yang, Holm, Nawrocki, Oh, Tomoki, Bernardo, Maeda, Ralston.
St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Strain, Boyd-Munce, O-Hara (C), Tanser, Kiltie, Olusanya, McMenamin. Subs: Urminsky, Bolton, Dunne, Small, Flynn, Jamieson, Mandron, Grieve, Nahmani
You can follow the action LIVE with us as first takes on third at Celtic Park.
20:15Lewis Birrell
Penalty!
Beaton points to the spot and Turnbull steps up!
20:15Lewis Birrell
VAR check for Celtic penalty
Turnbull’s shot did take a suspicious deflection and it looks as if it bounced off Alex Gogic’s arm.
John Beaton is at the monitor having a look.
20:14Lewis Birrell
Turnbull goes close again
That was a lovely move from Celtic!
Matt O’Riley drove into Saints’ box and slipped it out to James Forrest who drove a low cross into the box. It fell at the feet of David Turnbull, whose shot was blocked.
20:12Lewis Birrell
Celts turn up the dial
Marcus Fraser gets down low to turn Luis Palma’s driven cross behind for a corner. Celtic get the resulting set piece back into the box after it was initially cleared but Zach Hemming was quick off his line to gather.
20:10Lewis Birrell
Muck up at the back
After a short spell of St Mirren pressure, Callum McGregor and Nat Phillips attempt to clear the same ball, which looks awkward.
But it results in a Saints corner, which was easily marshalled out by Celtic.
20:09Lewis Birrell
Saints strike first
20:06Key Event
GOAL! CELTIC! 1-1!!!!
David Turnbull is the latest Celtic player to find space at the edge of St Mirren’s box. Matt O’Riley, while on the floor, did well to scramble the ball to the ex Motherwell man. And Turnbull rolled the ball out from his feet and unleashed an effort that left Hemming helpless in Saints’ goal.
20:04Lewis Birrell
Menacing Saints cross
Scott Tanser found space and slid a low cross across Celtic’s goalface but the home defence scrambled it to safety.
20:03Lewis Birrell
Celtic’s pre-match huddle
20:02Lewis Birrell
Palma almost pounces
Luis Palma found a yard of space at the edge of the box and blasted an effort at goal. It looked as if it could be goalbound but it deflected out for a corner. VAR is currently checking for a handball….but the corner stands.
20:00Lewis Birrell
The crowd are starting to turn
St Mirren’s opener has rattled the Celtic faithful here.
The Hoops are clearly trying to play through the lines quicker, to the supporters’ delight, but they’re not happy when it breaks down.
19:57Lewis Birrell
Celtic corner
Brendan Rodgers’ men have clearly tried to up the tempo since St Mirren’s opener. Callum McGregor’s surging run forward results in a corner which the hosts took quickly to no avail.
19:55Key Event
GOAL! ST MIRREN! 1-0!
Well, that’s an unexpected plot twist!
Greg Kiltie had loads of time on the left flank to sort his feet out and deliver a lovely, inswinging cross. And Conor McMenamin got up between two Celtic defenders to head home – Joe Hart had no chance.
The travelling Saints support are in raptures.
19:53Lewis Birrell
Johnston has a go
James Forrest stretched St Mirren’s backline but played it back inside to full-back Alistair Johnston.
The Canadian took a decent touch but somewhat scaffed his effort. It didn’t cause Zach Hemming any issues.
19:51Lewis Birrell
Saints are settling in
Stephen Robinson’s men, as expected, are sitting in a 5-4-1 game and trying to unsettle Celtic’s backline with long balls forward.
Celtic are dominating possession but Saints look comfortable.
19:49Lewis Birrell
Palma has first effort
Greg Taylor played the ball into Luis Palma, who had a little bit of time to turn and get his shot away.
But the winger’s curled effort went well clear of St Mirren’s crossbar.
19:47Key Event
And we’re off!
St Mirren get us underway.
Celtic are shooting towards the Lisbon Lions stand in the first half.
19:46Lewis Birrell
Hail Hail, the Celts are here
19:45Lewis Birrell
The teams emerge from the tunnel!
It’s freezing cold but Parkhead is busy!
Callum McGregor and Mark O’Hara lead their sides onto the park.
19:42Lewis Birrell
Scales’ pre-match thoughts
Liam Scales insists he’s buzzing at Celtic’s congested fixture schedule.
The Republic of Ireland defender has found himself at the heart of the Hoops’ backline this season – coupled with international recognition.
But he’s loving the crammed schedule.
It’s busy and tough but it’s also great. We’re hardly training and it’s just game to game. I’m enjoying it. We felt tired after the Champions League game and hoped to get a win away but hopefully we’ll bounce back today. Saints have been outstanding, they’re in third place and flying so we know what they’ll bring and we’re prepared for it.
19:38Lewis Birrell
The Saints march into Parkhead!
19:37Lewis Birrell
Brendan brimming with confidence
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is the latest Hoops man to stress how tough tonight’s clash with St Mirren will be.
Rodgers’ men drew at Hibs on Saturday afternoon and are desparate to bounce back with a victory at Paradise.
XX
Yeah they’ve had a fantastic start. They’re very competitive and make it difficult for you. We know we have to be patient but the speed of the game is important for us. Our idea is to impose ourselves on the game, play with speed and hopefully create opportunities to score goals.
19:34Lewis Birrell
Fancy a flutter?
As you’d expect, Celtic are overwhelming favourites tonight.
Brendan Rodgers’ men are 2/11 to pick up yet another league victory. Meanwhile, St Mirren are priced at 14/1, with the draw at 11/2.
Betway: Celtic vs St Mirren match odds
Celtic 2/11
Draw 11/2
St Mirren 14/1
Odds taken from: https://betway.com/en/sports/cat/soccer
19:31Lewis Birrell
Greg Taylor’s pre-match thoughts
Celtic left-back Greg Taylor isn’t underestimating St Mirren tonight.
The Paisley side are currently in third place, just three points behind Rangers.
And Taylor insists Celtic are well-aware of the task that lies ahead.
It’s a really difficult game, Stephen Robinson has his team well-organised but with a lot of quality as well. They have that attacking threat. It’ll be a really difficult game, as all the matches against them last year were to be honest.
19:19Lewis Birrell
Last time Saints stunned Celtic
It was during THAT Covid-ridden season, St Mirren tormented the foundering Scottish Premiership champions to deservedly claim a first away win over Celtic in 31 years.
Kristian Dennis and Ilkay Durmus struck in the first half, either side of an Odsonne Edouard reply, as Jim Goodwin’s men surged into the top six.
It ended St Mirren’s eight-year wait to beat Celtic, and is their first league win over the Glasgow club since 2010.
RELIVE SAINTS’ FAMOUS PARKHEAD WIN
19:03Lewis Birrell
Saints man recalls embarrassing kit moment at Celtic Park
GREG KILTIE won’t be selling the jerseys at Celtic Park having had a strip torn off him on a previous visit to the stadium.
The St Mirren star is hoping for a memorable evening in Glasgow’s East End as Stephen Robinson’s high-fliers aim to maintain strong form.
Kiltie recalls one Parkhead experience which wasn’t so pleasant when he got in trouble with old boss Gary Locke as a KIlmarnock kid eight years ago for forgetting his shirt.
He explained: “I was really young, I didn’t think I’d get on and I’d left my strip in the changing room. I got the shout to go on and it was then I realised.
READ MORE
18:55Lewis Birrell
What happened last time out?
Celtic earned a late 2-2 draw to keep their unbeaten domestic home run to 51 games thanks to Callum McGregor’s late strike.
The Buddies were ahead at half-time thanks to a double from English striker Curtis Main. The visitors opened the scoring in the fourth minute after Celtic failed to clear their lines from a Trevor Carson clearance. He launched the ball down the field, Anthony Ralston and Timoki Iwata both failed to clear the ball which allowed Main in. The striker brought the ball onto his right foot and shot under Joe Hart in the Celtic goal.
The champions equalised through Kyogo Furuhashi on the 14th minute with a brilliant strike. Kyogo found space in the box and was found by Reo Hatate was a neat pass. He took it on his right foot and blasted it high past Carson in the Saints goal. The home side piled on the pressure but it was the Paisley outfit who took the lead before the interval.
Main was the man again for Stephen Robinson’s side when he headed it past Hart on the 39th minute. Mark O’Hara headed the ball to the back post where Main was unmarked and nodded it past Hart to make it 2-1 at half-time. After a lengthy VAR check for offside the goal was given by David Munro.
Celtic equalised with nine minutes to go on the 81st minute through Callum McGregor. The Hoops captain found space on the edge of the box, drifted past Mark O’Hara then shot past Carson into the bottom left corner.
18:49Lewis Birrell
Celtic defensive switch up explained
Well, Brendan Rodgers’ teamline will have raised a few eyebrows.
And the most jarring thing is undoubtedly the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers. The English central defender didn’t appear to be in training yesterday and is just recovering from a lengthy injury.
It looks like Carter-Vickers could be struggling with another injury but Hoops fans will be hoping not as he was a huge miss last time out.
But what does this mean for tonight? Liverpool loanee Nat Phillips comes in to partner Stephen Welsh.
And on the bench, Rodgers can call upon Maik Nawrocki but bizarrely Gustaf Lagerbielke hasn’t made the matchday squad, despite their lack of options at the back. The former Elfsborg man played and scored for Sweden recently, so it’s unlikely that he’s injured.
18:39Lewis Birrell
Mulgrew: Forrest can lead the line
Former Celtic star Charlie Mulgrew has backed James Forrest to prove himself all over again at Celtic – in a new position.
Forrest has struggled to regain his place in the team after returning from injury but Brendan Rodgers has been giving him opportunities from the bench recently.
And the Scotland international had a huge chance to wrap up the points for Celtic in their 0-0 draw at Hibs on Saturday but his effort crashed back off the bar.
Former Hoops teammate Charlie Mulgrew, speaking to Clyde 1 Superscoreboard knows the quality his old pal possesses and reckons he’s a more than capable striker.
Jamesy’s been there for 12 years then has come in and sometimes played the striker role. Naturally, fans like to see a big name signing or would much prefer it if someone like Oh showed something they hadn’t seen before. They’re used to seeing James Forrest on the wing and know what they’ll get from him and I think if he scored that goal against Hibs and Celtic won the game – everybody would be saying what a genius decision it was by Brendan Rodgers. His original position was actually as a striker but he’s obviously now a winger. Credit to James though for playing there, he’ll do anything for the team. He’s a good finisher and has pace. When you look at strikers, you want someone who can hold the ball up and has pace – that’s what I think of with him. It’s no surprise he’s still one of the quickest wingers at the club and he’s really powerful too.
18:35Key Event
Celtic team to face St Mirren REVEALED!
Starting XI: Hart, Johnston, Phillips, Scales, Taylor, McGregor (C), O’Riley, Turnbull, Forrest, Palma, Kyogo.
Subs: Bain, Yang, Holm, Nawrocki, Oh, Tomoki, Bernardo, Maeda, Ralston.
18:32Key Event
Stephen Robinson names his St Mirren team!
Starting XI: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Strain, Boyd-Munce, O-Hara (C), Tanser, Kiltie, Olusanya, McMenamin.
Subs: Urminsky, Bolton, Dunne, Small, Flynn, Jamieson, Mandron, Grieve, Nahmani.
18:21Lewis Birrell
Celtic v St Mirren – team news
Celtic’s right-back Alistair Johnston has been passed fit after a facial knock and Odin Thiago Holm is back in contention but Reo Hatate and Liel Abada remain out. Stephen Welsh is back in training but won’t be ready for this match, as previously mentioned.
Meanwhile, St Mirren defender Ryan Strain returns from suspension. Keanu Baccus and striker Mikael Mandron will have fitness tests. Jonah Ayungah remains out.
18:09Lewis Birrell
Is Welsh well?
Stephen Welsh has given Celtic a boost by returning to training this week.
The defender rejoined Brendan Rodgers’ first-team squad this week.
And Welsh will need to work on his fitness and match sharpness over the coming weeks before he makes his top-team return.
The 23-year-old has been out since he suffered ankle ligament damage, after an accidental clash in training, back in August. It was a blow to Welsh and Celtic as it came just days after he had signed a new long-term contract.
Tonight is a match or two too soon for the Coatbridge-based starlet but Hoops fans will be pleased to know more defensive cover is on the horizon.
18:01Lewis Birrell
Weather report
If you’ve been in and around Glasgow and the West today, you’ll have experienced some miserable weather.
But thankfully the rain looks to have eased for now and the big match will go ahead. There’s been no pitch inspection so far, nor are there any plans for one.
If you’re heading off to the game, you may have won a watch – as it looks like Glasgow will avoid any more rain fall this evening.
17:18Graeme Young
Rob’s joy
Stephen Robinson feels the determined work ethic throughout his squad is the key behind the Paisley club sitting pretty in third spot in the Premiership table ahead of tonight’s exciting clash against the Hoops.
Me and Brendan [Rodgers] have had some good battles. He beat me in a couple of cup finals as well, which I haven’t forgotten! We face a very difficult task. They’re a team very much in form but we go there with a game plan. It’s about now trying to implement that as best we can.
17:15Graeme Young
Green Brigade hit back
The Green Brigade have hit back at Celtic and claimed the board have SHAMED the club after banning the group.
On Tuesday night Parkhead chiefs told around 200 members of the section their season tickets have been suspended until further notice due to “repeated incidents of unacceptable behaviour” with the shut out beginning during the Scottish Premiership clash with St Mirren. Record Sport understands Parkhead powerbrokers have taken the action following further problems with the Celtic ultras during the visit to Easter Road to face Hibs.
But the fan group insist that the ban comes as a result of their support for Palestine amid the conflict in Israel. The ultras held up banners and flags saying ‘Free Palestine’ with a second saying ‘Victory To The Resistance!!’ in the stands following the start of the conflict and defied a warning from the club by displaying Palestine flags during the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid – which looks set to incur a UEFA sanction.
FULL STORY: Green Brigade unleash at Celtic powerbrokers in loaded address and claim board have SHAMED club
17:13Graeme Young
A Turn-up in the midfield?
Reo Hatate has been confirmed out until after Christmas in a serious midfield blow, but boss Rodgers is also boosted by returns to training for a host of his injured cohort. Whether the likes of Stephen Welsh, Marco Tilio and Maik Nawrocki are fit to play is another question as Stephen Robinson’s Buddies look to spring a surprise in Glasgow’s east-end. There will be an added backdrop off the pitch too, even if it will appear quiet inside the ground.
17:12Graeme Young
Hello and welcome
It’s a dreich one in Glasgow but if you’re not at the game then you’ve come to the perfect place to enjoy the action as we bring you LIVE updates throughout the night.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.