Celtic turn their attention away from the Scottish Premiership this afternoon as they prepare to take on Aberdeen at Hampden Park in the SFA Cup.
The Hoops travel across Glasgow to take on the Dons in the semi-finals of the competition, as they look to book a place in the final next month – where they would face either Rangers or Hearts.
Brendan Rodgers' side come into this match off the back of a 3-0 win over St Mirren in the Premiership on Saturday, which extended their lead at the top of the division to four points – cut to three after their rivals picked up a point against Dundee on Wednesday night.
Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Adam Idah all got on the scoresheet during the second half against St Mirren, in what turned out to be a comfortable victory for the Bhoys after a goalless first half.
The Northern Irish head coach could now make some changes for this cup clash, to provide other players with an opportunity to impress, and should finally unleash Luis Palma from the start ahead of Hyun-jun Yang, with Daizen Maeda out injured.
When Daizen Maeda is expected to return
Earlier this month, Rodgers revealed that the Japan international has suffered an injury in the tendon of his hamstring, which ruled him out of the clash with St Mirren.
The Hoops boss added that the right-footed winger will be re-assessed over the coming weeks to see whether or not he will be available to play again before the end of the season.
This suggests that there is no guarantee that Maeda will be fit enough to feature during the run-in, and Celtic supporters may have to wait until the 2024/25 campaign to see him in action again, unless he can recover over the next few weeks.
Appearances
25
Goals
5
Big chances missed
12
Assists
2
Key passes per game
0.5
As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old forward has been wasteful with his opportunities in front of goal in the Premiership this season, and has rarely created chances for his teammates to find the back of the net.
However, Rodgers claimed – in September 2023 – that having Maeda on the pitch is like having "two players" due to the "unbelievable" work rate he puts in out wide, which shows that there is far more to his game than just goals and assists.
Celtic will need to find a solution to his absence on the left flank and Yang put in a solid performance against St Mirren, but Palma should also be presented with an opportunity to shine.
Hyun-yun Yang's season in numbers
The South Korean whiz, who was signed from Gangwon FC last summer, has not had the easiest of first seasons in Glasgow as he has battled to adjust to football in Scotland.
Yang is yet to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI and inconsistent numbers in the final third have followed, with four direct goal contributions in 24 appearances and ten starts in the league.
In fact, the 21-year-old attacker has zero goals, zero assists, and one red card in his last four league outings for the Scottish giants, after two assists in the previous two matches – perfectly illustrating his inconsistent season.
Of course, Celtic should not have expected a player to come to Europe for the first time at the age of 21 and hit the ground running with consistently brilliant performances, which is why Yang needs time and should be viewed as a great prospect for the future.
There were promising signs from his display as a starter against St Mirren, with three key passes and one 'big chance' created, but he also lost nine of his 15 duels and only completed three of his seven attempted dribbles.
He ended the match without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts, and this upcoming clash with Aberdeen provides Rodgers with a chance to replace him with Palma, who has the potential to offer more at the top end of the pitch.
Why Luis Palma should start for Celtic
Signed from Greek side Aris on a permanent deal last summer, the talented star has proven himself to be capable of scoring and assisting goals on a regular basis from a wide position.
Earlier this season, former Celtic man Peter Grant lauded Palma as a "real threat" and claimed that the winger "causes havoc" with his ability to send dangerous balls into the box to create chances for his teammates.
The Honduras international, who created one 'big chance' in just 19 minutes against St Mirren, hit the ground running at the start of the campaign, and his numbers back that up.
Appearances
24
Starts
17
Goals
6
Big chances created
13
Assists
9
Key passes per game
2.7
As you can see in the table above, the 5 foot 10 magician has been directly involved in 15 goals in 17 league starts for the Scottish giants this season.
Only Matt O'Riley (11) has assisted more goals in the division for Celtic, and no player has created as many 'big chances' as Palma's 13 so far.
This speaks to how influential the 24-year-old wizard has been at times for the Hoops, as there are few players as good as him when it comes to creating chances and assisting goals within Rodgers' squad.
His last start came against Kilmarnock in February and the forward has scored one goal and created one 'big chance' in three substitute appearances since then.
He has provided quality off the bench and the manager must now finally unleash him from the start today in the hope that his quality at the top end of the pitch, as a scorer and a creator of goals, can fire the Hoops to the final of the SFA Cup.
It will be an interesting battle to nail down the left wing spot in the absence of Maeda, and the opportunities will be there for Palma and Yang to both state their case for a regular place in the starting XI between now and the end of the season.