Celtic's five key players
Robert Hynes looks at five men who will be crucial in Celtic's fight for the title.Gary Hooper
The Englishman has shown on numerous occasions he can score goals finishing last season with twenty goals and having eleven to date this term. The ex-Scunthorpe player has also scored in three out of four Old Firm appearances. Hooper started this season quite slowly scoring just once in Celtic’s four opening league games. He is still awaiting an English cap and has yet to represent the country at any level. During the 2009-2010 season with Scunthorpe, Hooper was the third highest goal scorer in the Championship with 19 goals, finishing ahead of the likes of Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam.
Victor Wanyama
Perhaps Celtic’s best signing this year; the big defender has been a solid part of Neil Lennon’s team. He showed a few weeks ago that he can also score goals with a stunning strike to win the game against Hearts. With Dan Majstorovic out injured, Wanyama may be more important than ever for Wedensday’s game. The Kenyan played for Helsingborg in 2007 alongside Celtic legend Henrik Larsson and has started in Celtic’s last ten games in all competitions. He is still waiting for his first taste of an Old Firm game having been an unused substitute in September’s game at Ibrox.
James Forrest
The twenty year old has put on some spectacular displays this season including a man of the match performance in Scotland’s under 21s 2-1 victory over Holland. The Ayrshire born player has five goals so far this term and could be massive for Celtic come December 28th. The young Scottish international signed for Celtic at the age of thirteen and made his first team debut in May 2009 scoring in a 4-0 victory over Motherwell. Forrest could be a game changer in the Old Firm despite beginning the last four meetings on the bench.
Fraser Forster
Fraser Forster has pulled off some stunning saves this season including in recent weeks a penalty from Hearts’ Eggert Jonsson and a spectacular double save from Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale - first saving a shot from close range and then blocking the rebounding header off the line. The on-loan goalie is serving his second loan spell with the Hoops and has been a key part in Neil Lennon’s team over the past two seasons. Forster will no doubt be busy come Wednesday night as he faces the SPL’s top scorer this season Nikica Jelavic. Forster saw red in the fixture last season after bringing down Steven Naismith for a penalty.
Scott Brown
A player who needs no introduction to Old Firm games, having been involved in numerous routs in the fixture. His stunning strike at Ibrox last year helped Celtic secure a replay in the Scottish Cup which they won 1-0. Brown started his first SPL game since the 4-2 defeat to Rangers in September against St Johnstone last Sunday having recovered from an ankle injury. If Brown can keep his cool during the match he can be a game changer but as previous meetings have shown he can be a big disappointment when he loses his temper. The skipper saw red in the fixture under two years ago when he stuck his head in Kyle Lafferty’s chest and was booked last year for his celebration to El Hadji Diouf.
