Celtic travel to Perth on Saturday to take on St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, as Brendan Rodgers’ side look to continue their perfect start to the season in all competitions.

With the club away to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, all eyes have to remain on matters at hand domestically. Winning their last Scottish Premiership match 2-0 against Hearts, Celtic have maintained a perfect record in the league, conceding zero goals in the process. For the visitors, they parted company with Craig Levein following their defeat to Hibernian, before managing a 3-3 draw versus Ross County in Dingwall last Saturday.

With all of that being said, what team will Rodgers elect to pick for this match, the first of three away trips in a row for Celtic? The Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty and Ryan McGinlay each have their say…

Ryan McGinlay

Even though it has only been six days since Celtic have played when this fixture comes around, it has felt like an eternity since the club last took to the field!

This week has felt like the calm before the storm, however, with a busy schedule leading up to the festive period and the winter months in general for the club and Rodgers. Though the temptation may be to look ahead to that glamour European tie versus Dortmund in their own backyard, all focus must remain on the task at hand on the domestic front.

Because of this, Celtic will remain strong squad-wise, despite this quick turnaround. No surprises on who will remain between the sticks to start off with, as Kasper Schmeichel will remain in place for this one. A brilliant signing already, he will be looking to keep his clean sheet record going, as one more will break the long-standing record dating back over 100 years!

The defence will see changes from the Scottish League Cup tie versus Falkirk, but some familiar faces will return. Both Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor will make their way back into the starting line-up, whilst Scales will also retain his rightful place in the heart of the backline. He will be joined by Auston Trusty, as Cameron Carter-Vickers recovers from hia injury woes – fingers crossed he will be okay for Celtic’s European exploits next week.

Into the area with the most question marks – good ones, mind you – as the midfield presents itself with plenty of firepower and technical ability. Callum McGregor is a given, being the captain, as is Arne Engels, who continues to impress every time he graces Scottish football with his presence. Despite being a self-confessed fan of Reo Hatate, I believe that Paulo Bernardo will take the remaining spot in the middle of the park, and his endeavour and work-rate will be key in the battle to come at McDiarmid Park.

In the forward area, it surely has to be Adam Idah who leads the line, rewarded for his three goals last week with a start in Perth. The heavy pitch and rough game in store could call for the Irishman, therefore I think he will get the nod. On the wings, Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn will occupy the left and right sides – possibly the easiest positions to pick in the entire team, in all honesty!

Celtic to win by at least three or four, and heap more pressure on Rangers, who play Hibs on Sunday. 

Ryan’s team: Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor; McGregor, Bernardo, Engels; Kuhn, Idah, Maeda

Tony Haggerty

Celtic finally got the job done against Falkirk in the League Cup last weekend when they rolled out the big guns from the bench to ease to a comfortable 5-2 win. Rodgers took full responsibility for making nine changes to the side for the Bairns Cup clash.

The Irishman has learned his lesson by his own admission and although there will be another refresh of the team it will be with more tried, tested and familiar faces on Saturday evening as the champions roll into McDiarmid Park to face St Johnstone. The champions are revisiting the scene where Rodgers read the riot act last at half-time last season as Celtic came from 1-0 down to triumph 3-1 in Perth en route to clinching the title.

The 51-year-old will tinker with his lineup again but some of those changes could well be enforced on him. Managerless St Johnstone do not have their problems to seek and interestingly enough former Celtic skipper and midfield legend Scott Brown withdrew from the race to become the Saints' new boss in midweek. None of that will concern Rodgers as he attempts to get Scottish Premiership win number six out of six ahead of the mouth-watering Champions League date with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night in Germany.

It's domestic affairs first and Kasper Schmeichel will start in between the posts. He will be assisted by Johnston at right-back, and Taylor at left-back. Trusty will be entrusted with the role of centre-back and play back-to-back matches and the American will feature alongside the returning Scales. Carter-Vickers will be wrapped in cotton wool to give him every chance of featuring against last season's Champions League runners-up on Tuesday night.

In midfield, Rodgers will opt for a trio of McGregor, Engels and Luke McCowan. Celtic diehard McCowan was cup-tied against Falkirk and he will get the nod in this domestic match to see if he can add to his tally after his goal against Hearts. Bernardo and Hatate will miss out, with Rodgers having one eye on Tuesday night. Man-of-the-moment Engels can do no wrong and he'll be simmering away nicely ahead of a trip to Signal Iduna Park where he is more than familiar with the surroundings. 

Up front, it will be £8.5 million man Idah - who bagged a brace last weekend - who will hold onto the proverbial No.9 shirt at the expense of Kyogo. Idah sprung into life when German winger Kuhn entered the fray as the wide-man supplied both of the former Norwich City striker's goals. Last weekend's man of the match also notched a double, and he will be tasked with providing more ammunition and service for the Republic of Ireland international alongside Maeda who will be deployed on the right flank. Alternatively, both Maeda and Kuhn can also chip in with goals themselves to help Celtic secure all three points in Perth.

Celtic by a handsome margin and McCowan will get his name on the scoresheet.

Tony's team: Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor; McGregor, Engels, McCowan; Maeda, Idah. Kuhn.