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Tuesday 10th January 2023

Celtic Premier Sports Cup

Viaplay Cup Semi-Final Key Players - Celtic

Craig Fowler looks at the most important players for Celtic this Saturday evening as Ange Postecoglou's cup holders take on Kilmarnock for a place in this season's Viaplay Cup final.

Callum McGregor

The captain. The leader. The man who can both make things tick and burst forward to devastating effect upon the opposition.

McGregor is always an influential player in the Celtic side and these are the sort of occasions where his experience will be a big factor. He's been at Hampden countless times for high-profile matches so he knows what's required, what to expect and can get that message through to any team-mates who may need a reminder of what's at stake.

He's also come up with more than a few big moments at the National Stadium in a green-and-white hooped shirt throughout the years.

Reo Hatate

The best player in Scottish football this season? It's difficult to argue otherwise.

Last weekend's 2-0 league victory against Kilmarnock was further evidence of that. Celtic were excellent as a collective in the second half, but they struggled to get going in the first 45 minutes. Hatate was the outlier in that period.

He was the only player who played at the right tempo and showed the required determination and bravery on the ball. He's capable of scoring himself, but it's his use of the ball in possession that really makes him special. He can both spray it about the pitch to keep possession and slice through opposition rearguards to break their resistance.

Kyogo Furuhashi

Chances are going to come for Celtic in this encounter and if the Japanese forward - level with Lawrence Shankland in the goalscoring charts and only behind on the assists-made tiebreaker - can take them then there's absolutely no way Celtic lose this game.

His shooting is deadly but it's his movement that makes him such a nightmare to defend against. A defender can have eyes on him for 89 minutes and 59 seconds and it still might not be enough.

A footballing predator in the traditional sense, he will strike fear into the hearts of the Killie backline.

Celtic face Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup semi-finals on Saturday 14th January (5:30pm kick-off). Catch all the action exclusively LIVE on Viaplay.

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