Rodgers can win the title by axing Forrest to start Celtic's "magical" star
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Celtic travel away from Parkhead to take on Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, knowing that a point will be enough to seal the title.
The Hoops simply have to avoid defeat to clinch their fourth league title in succession, which means that this could be the weekend that they are crowned champions once again.
Brendan Rodgers’ side beat St. Johnstone 5-0 in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup last time out at Hampden Park, but the Northern Irish boss could make some changes to his side, starting with dropping James Forrest to the bench.
Why James Forrest should be dropped
The long-serving Celtic winger was selected to start on the right side of the attack against the Saints last weekend and, once again, failed to contribute much at the top end of the pitch.
Forrest has started the last two matches and has not been involved, with a goal or an assist, in any of the ten goals scored by the team, which has been the story of his season.
The Scottish forward has played 27 matches in all competitions this season without scoring a single goal for the Hoops, which illustrates his lack of impact in the final third.
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With this in mind, Rodgers must take the ineffective winger out of the starting XI for this trip to Dundee United, who are not an easy team to play against. They have only conceded 40 goals in 33 matches, which suggests that Celtic need their best attackers on the pitch, including Nicolas Kuhn.
Why Nicolas Kuhn could win Celtic the title
Dundee United, as shown by their defensive record this season, will be tough to break down and that is why the German attacker must be unleashed to win the title for the Hoops.
Forrest has shown, with zero goals in 26 games, that he is unlikely to make much of an impact as a starter on Saturday. Whereas, Kuhn has been in excellent form this season at the top end of the pitch.
The left-footed forward has racked up 18 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for the Scottish giants this term, including two assists in his last four league starts.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Nicolas Kuhn |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
|
Goals |
10 |
|
Big chances created |
10 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.7 |
|
Assists |
8 |
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has delivered 18 goals and assists combined in the Premiership so far this term, which shows that he can get on the end of passes to score, or he can be the player who makes the killer pass to split open a defence.
The former Rapid Vienna star, once hailed as “magical” by Rodgers, could provide the cutting edge in front of goal that is seemingly going to be required to break down the Dundee United backline, whilst Forrest’s form this season suggests that he is not the man for that job.
Therefore, Rodgers could increase his team’s chances of winning the title on Saturday by dropping the Scottish forward in favour of Kuhn on the right flank.
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