Hamilton V Celtic at New Douglas Park : Match Preview

24 December 2016 09:34
Hamilton V Celtic - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Hamilton captain Michael Devlin highlights threat of Celtic strike duo

Hamilton skipper Michael Devlin is braced for a difficult Christmas Eve no matter what strikeforce Celtic deploy against Accies.

Both Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele were unleashed against Accies earlier this month and, although Hamilton restricted the champions to a 1-0 win, the two Celtic strikers linked up for the only goal.

Griffiths was the man on the mark on that occasion, and he has struck in each of three consecutive starts in recent weeks after his 40-goal tally from last term counted for little earlier in the season when he lost his place to Dembele following a brief injury lay-off.

The pair have 29 goals between them this campaign and Devlin is preparing for a tough assignment.

The central defender said: "They both started the game against us last Tuesday, which was delightful. I didn't play that game, I was injured, but the boys certainly felt it was difficult. Dembele played a wee bit more through the middle, Griffiths played off round about him.

"It doesn't matter which one plays, you are going to be in a game, they are top-quality players.

"Leigh's return last year was incredible and he was very, very unfortunate that when he got injured, Dembele came in and did really, really well. He has had another opportunity and shown why he is so highly rated in Scotland.

"It doesn't matter which one plays, whether they both play or whether one of them plays, it's going to be a difficult game.

"Leigh Griffiths' movement is very, very clever. He knows how to make it difficult for you as a centre-back, plays off your shoulder, never lets you see him, never lets you touch him.

"He is very, very difficult to play against and unfortunately for us he scored a hat-trick against us last season. He has a wee habit of scoring against us. It's something we are going to need to keep an eye on."

Celtic could hardly be in a better place as 2016 nears its end, according to skipper Scott Brown

While Brendan Rodgers' side failed to get out of their Champions League group, they are 14 points clear of Rangers at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table having played a game less. They have gone 21 domestic games unbeaten with the Betfred Cup already in the trophy cabinet.



The Parkhead midfielder believes a team effort on and off the park is contributing to their success.



"Everyone in that dressing room is enjoying football and enjoying training," said Brown.



"There's competitiveness throughout the dressing room and I think that's what is pushing us on.



"It's a good place to be just now, there's great spirits, the fans are behind us, whether it's home, away or Champions League or in the league so that's the main thing.



"(The consistency) has shown in the results and hopefully we will have a lot more under Brendan coming.



"It has been a great five months so far and there's still a long way to go for us.



"We've got three games before the winter break and we need to push everyone as far as we possibly can in the right direction."






Source: PAR