Chris Sutton believes Daizen Maeda will lead the Celtic assault when they face Rangers at Celtic Park this Sunday. The former Celtic striker will be a pundit for Sky Sports as Brendan Rodgers’ side looks to take another step closer to the crown with a victory in the Glasgow Derby.
There has been much of disagreement among supporters about who should lead the queue. Adam Idah has improved since joining on loan, while Maeda has been in top form in recent weeks. Sutton believes Rodgers won’t be able to overlook the Japanese forward when picking his starting eleven.
Speaking ahead of the match, Sutton told RecordSport: “I know there’s been some debate over who gets the nod up front and I get the temptation to keep Daizen Maeda out wide because he nullifies the threat of James Tavernier in attack and scares the wits out of the Rangers captain going the other way.
“I just can’t see Rodgers going for anything than Maeda through the middle, though. His form up front has been sensational. Fans have practically forgotten about Kyogo because he’s been so prolific.”
Sutton also targeted Celtic’s opponents, alleging Rangers’ lack of a title fight influenced Kyogo’s exit during the January transfer window. Inferring Celtic’s desire to sell its striker was due to the Ibrox club’s inability. Celtic sold Kyogo for £10 million.
“That sale does sum up how little challenge Rangers have provided this season,” Sutton continued. “If there were two or three points in it back in January, there’s no way he’d be twiddling his thumbs on the Rennes bench right now. He is old news and Maeda’s the main man now.”
With Maeda set to lead the line, Sutton predicted Jota would make an impact out wide and emphasised the importance of having options like Adam Idah on the bench.
“I’d expect him to be up front again on Sunday and that would allow Jota to play on the flank,” Sutton added. “He could be the man to unlock the defence if Barry Ferguson does send them out to sit deep. The likes of Adam Idah could be effective from the bench as the game goes on and perhaps opens up.”
Celtic lead the table by 16 points going into the encounter, with Rodgers hoping for another derby victory after a commanding 3-0 performance at Celtic Park the previous time around.
