Celtic are in search of a domestic treble under Brendan Rodgers and continue their quest to claim more history with a Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers this weekend.

Celtic are in search of a domestic treble under Brendan Rodgers and continue their quest to claim more history with a Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers this weekend.

Despite the Hoops’ attempts to land Kelechi Iheanacho and Mathias Kvistgaarden, Daizen Maeda will now supplement the Irishman’s existing strikeforce when needed despite spending the majority of his Parkhead career veering off the left-hand side.

During midweek, a home clash against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership threatened to interfere with the feelgood factor that has engulfed Celtic since the start of the season if they couldn’t get off to a flying start.

Fear not, as the Bhoys wheeled away with a 6-0 victory to extend their lead at the summit over Rangers to 13 points. Counteracting the lack of a supporting cast, Jota’s arrival in Glasgow’s east end from Rennes has served to soften the blow of losing an iconic figure in Kyogo.

With the situation also presenting opportunities for someone like Kenny or even Daniel Cummings to emerge from the shadows, Rodgers has confirmed that another rarely spotted face will enter his starting line-up tomorrow against Raith Rovers, albeit at the other end of the field.

Brendan Rodgers to hand summer signing first Celtic start

On Friday afternoon, Celtic boss Rodgers confirmed goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo will earn his first start against Raith Rovers after Kasper Schmeichel was ruled out of featuring due to a knock.

He stated: “No, only one (injury concern). Kasper Schmeichel won’t play. So Viljami Sinisalo will start. Kasper had a little issue with his back. He’ll miss out in the game and like I’ve seen in pre-season with Viljami, he’s a young goalkeeper who came in and played those games really well and so I’m really looking forward to seeing him make his debut.”

Last summer, Celtic paid a fee of £1 million to land Sinisalo from Aston Villa. Earmarked as one for the future, he hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the club in any form after Schmeichel’s run of 22 clean sheets in 38 matches.

Labelled ‘incredible’ by Gary Caldwell during a successful loan spell at Exeter City before his move to Parkhead, the Finland star has three caps to his name on the international stage and featured in a high-profile 2-2 draw with Scotland before their opponents went to EURO 2024.

Now, his biggest club career moment awaits as Celtic look to navigate their way into the Scottish Cup quarter-final. Following a show of faith from the manager, supporters will be excited to see what he has to offer between the sticks.

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