Celtic are back in action once again in the Scottish Premiership this evening as they prepare to welcome their closest rivals Aberdeen to Parkhead.
The Dons, who have played one match more, are four points behind the Hoops in the table, which means that Brendan Rodgers’ side can move seven points clear with a win tonight.
Goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Adam Idah, Callum McGregor, and Paulo Bernardo secured a 5-0 win for Celtic against Ross County on Saturday.
However, the Premiership champions and leaders must be wary of the threat that Aberdeen can pose to them this evening, particularly centre-forward Kevin Nisbet.
Kevin Nisbet’s form for Aberdeen
The 27-year-old marksman, who is on loan from Millwall, scored 39 goals in 101 appearances for Hibernian in all competitions during his last spell in Scottish football.
That included a return of 12 goals in 16 outings in the Premiership for Hibs during the 2022/23 campaign, which meant that Aberdeen were bringing in a proven performer in the league.
|
Last seven appearances |
Competition |
Goals |
Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Spartans |
League Cup |
1 |
0 |
|
Dundee |
Premiership |
1 |
0 |
|
Hearts |
Premiership |
0 |
0 |
|
Celtic |
Premiership |
0 |
0 |
|
Dundee |
Premiership |
1 |
1 |
|
St Mirren |
Premiership |
0 |
1 |
|
Hibernian |
Premiership |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|||
As you can see in the table above, Nisbet has scored three goals and provided two assists in his last seven appearances for the Dons, despite only starting four of those matches and playing just 45 minutes against Celtic.
Based on his recent form for Aberdeen, and his previously impressive goal return with Hibernian, Rodgers will need to find a way to silence the Scottish marksman.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
One way to completely silence the Dons centre-forward could be to bring USA international Auston Trusty back into the starting XI, after he was left on the bench for the win over Ross County.
Why Auston Trusty should be unleashed
The £6m summer signing from Sheffield United was selected ahead of Liam Scales for Club Brugge and Hearts games, before the manager made a host of changes to the team for the win over Ross County, including the Irish defender coming back in alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Rodgers must, now, bring Trusty back into the fold alongside his compatriot, as the American colossus could play a big role in keeping Nisbet quiet.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Auston Trusty |
Liam Scales |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
7 |
12 |
|
Pass accuracy |
95% |
92% |
|
Tackles per game |
1.6 |
1.3 |
|
Interceptions per game |
1.1 |
1.0 |
|
Penalties committed |
0 |
1 |
|
Ground duels won |
2.6 |
2.1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star has made fewer defensive errors than Scales whilst winning more tackles, ground duels, and interceptions per game.
These statistics suggest that the former Arsenal prospect could be better suited to dealing with Aberdeen’s attacking threats, as he makes more defensive interventions to cut out attacks each match.
Trusty, who was described as “phenomenal” in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in Europe by Chris Sutton, also started in the 6-0 win over Aberdeen in the League Cup, although Nisbet did not feature in that match.
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Therefore, Rodgers could silence the Dons frontman, and their attack in general, by unleashing the summer signing over Scales at Parkhead tonight.