Published Sep 20, 2026, 7:15 AM GMT+1

The new and extended international break is due to last three weeks and the Hoops will not want to stew over three losses during that period of time.

Martin O'Neill's side lost 3-0 to Rangers in the quarter-finals of the League Cup last weekend and now have the opportunity for redemption against them in the league.

The Northern Irish head coach may look to make some changes to the starting line-up, though, after his team were beaten 3-1 by Ferencvaros at Parkhead in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Why Haissem Hassan should be dropped by Celtic

After missing out on the starting line-up against Rangers last week due to sleeping problems, Haissem Hassan was brought back into the starting XI against the Hungarian side.

Unfortunately, the Egypt international was unable to showcase the best of his abilities in the Europa League, as he struggled on the flank before being substituted in the 57th minute.

The left-footed attacker came off the pitch without any shots or dribbles attempted and without any 'big chances' created, as he failed to make any tangible impact at the top end of the pitch.

Therefore, O'Neill should take the former Real Oviedo winger, who was signed for £6m in the summer, out of the line-up because he may not get much joy out of James Penrice at left-back for Rangers on current form.

One of the problems that Celtic had last week was that Penrice inverted into midfield out of possession to beef up the middle of the park for the Gers, and the Hoops failed to deal with that.

How Celtic can dominate James Penrice today

After being dominated at Ibrox because of the left-back's clever positioning that exposed the Celtic midfield, O'Neill can dominate the Scottish defender by replacing Hassan with a different player.

The Hoops head coach could completely dominate Penrice by dropping Hassan and unleashing Benjamin Nygren on the right wing against Rangers this afternoon.

He has played as a number ten or central midfielder in all of his starts so far this season for the Scottish giants, but the Sweden international did score three goals in four starts as a right winger in the 2025/26 campaign.

Celtic should unleash the left-footed star in a fresh role for the current season by playing him on the right wing, so that he can cut in on his favoured foot from the flank.

The Hoops were overrun too often in midfield because of Penrice inverting to join Nicolas Raskin and Dan Neil in the middle of the park for Rangers, which gave Derek McInnes' side an advantage.

Nygren, who is used to playing in central midfield, playing on the right wing would allow him to comfortably and confidently invert into midfield to follow Penrice and shut down what he does in and out of possession.

What would make the Swedish star so effective at stopping the left-back is the threat that he carries at the top end of the pitch, as the defender cannot allow him space to work with on the right flank.

Nygren has already racked up five goals and six assists in 11 appearances in all competitions so far this season for the Hoops, most recently scoring in a 3-0 win over Aberdeen in the Premiership earlier this month.

The left-footed star, of course, also scored 16 goals, created eight 'big chances', and supplied five assists in the division in the 2025/26 campaign, ending the season as the club's top goalscorer in all competitions.

Hassan, meanwhile, has never scored more than four goals in a league season in his career and Penrice would know that he does not carry a significant goalscoring threat, which means that he could show him down the outside.

With Nygren, the Rangers left-back will have to be extra wary and that may prevent him from inverting into central positions and leaving space down the wing, which is why this tactical tweak could help Celtic to dominate the game.

Therefore, O'Neill should take Hassan out of the team on the right wing and bring Nygren in to prevent Rangers from having the tactical advantage with Penrice.