Celtic are back in domestic action this afternoon as they travel away from Parkhead to face St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership in the lunchtime kick-off.
The Hoops come into this match off the back of a disappointing defeat to Lazio on Tuesday night. It was one that ended their involvement, beyond their last group stage match against Feyenoord, in European football this season.
Brendan Rodgers' side were beaten by two late strikes from substitute Ciro Immobile, who got the better of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales too easily to find the back of the net and secure the win for the hosts.
The Bhoys now have an opportunity to bounce back to winning ways today and one player who must be brought back into the starting XI is forward Luis Palma.
He was suspended for the loss to Lazio and winger James Forrest started in his place. The Scottish attacker must now be brutally ditched after failing to grasp his opportunity.
Forrest's performance against Lazio in numbers
In 61 minutes on the left wing against the Italian side, the 32-year-old veteran lost six of his eight duels and failed to complete any of his three attempted dribbles.
Forrest also failed to create a single chance for his teammates and did not register any efforts on goal, on or off target, and lost possession 11 times from 27 touches.
The Hoops academy product, who has one goal and zero assists in 11 Premiership matches this term, was unable to provide an attacking threat in possession and was a lightweight off the ball as Lazio were able to dominate him in physical duels.
Therefore, Rodgers should brutally ditch the right-footed wide man and bring Palma back in from the start after his suspension provided him with a rest in midweek.
Luis Palma's season in numbers
The Honduras international arrived at Parkhead from Greek side Aris FC during the summer transfer window and has proved himself to be an impactful addition for the side.
Palma has provided a significant goal threat from the left wing with four goals in six Premiership starts and one goal in three Champions League starts.
This shows that he has the ability to chip in with strikes on a regular basis to ease the burden on the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Hyeon-gyu Oh.
The 23-year-old ace, who Chris Sutton dubbed "tremendous" earlier this term, has also showcased his quality as a creator for his teammates.
He has produced five assists and created four 'big chances' in six Premiership starts this term. Along with that, Palma currently ranks second within the squad for key passes per game (2.4) – only behind Matt O'Riley's 2.8 per outing.
The 5 foot 10 left-winger has produced goals, assists, and key passes at an exceptional rate in comparison to Forrest and could, therefore, be a far better option for Celtic to pick to start out wide against St. Johnstone this afternoon.
Rodgers must now brutally ditch the Scottish forward and bring Palma straight back into the XI in the hope that the Honduras international can produce a goal or an assist, or both, to secure a vital three points for the Hoops this weekend.
