IT'S BACK to the business of domestic football this weekend and, for Celtic, it is a chance to get themselves back on track.

After easing through August with Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy taking root within the squad, there has been a harsh returning to earth in recent weeks.

Defeats against AZ Alkmaar and Rangers would have offered ample food for thought while new signings could get their chance to stake a claim with an injury robbing the Hoops of new favourite Kyogo Furuhashi.

Here, our writers predict Celtic's starting line-up for Saturday's visit of Ross County.

Alison McConnell

The news that Kyogo has returned to Lennoxtown with a knock will be seen as a major headache. It is also the first game since the departures of Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie so there is much to ponder in terms of where the goals will come from.

The Japanese forward has been an immediate hit since his arrival at the end of July and his loss will be considerable. It puts an immediate onus on Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis to hit the ground running if, as expected, he now makes his debut against Ross County.

It will be interesting too to see if there is a place for Cameron Carter-Vickers, who was the last player to head into the club into the final hours of the summer transfer window. Winger Jota may also come into contention for his Celtic debut.

Josip Juranovic impressed at Ibrox on the opposite side of his favoured position. Greg Taylor’s injury was the reason for the switch but with bodies now available there will be options for Postecoglou as he selects a team to get Celtic back to winning ways. 

Alison's team: Hart; Juranovic, Starfelt, Welsh, Taylor; Soro, McGregor, Turnbull; Abada, Giakoumakis, Jota.

Andy Bargh

It’s just as well for Celtic they secured a few more attacking players on transfer deadline day. With Edouard and Christie leaving the club and Kyogo sustaining an injury on international duty, Postecoglou’s options going forward could have been even more uncertain.

The arrivals of Jota and Giakoumakis mean the Aussie isn’t scraping the barrel to forge a forward line and they both could start on the left and through the middle with Liel Abada, who was only in the door a few weeks before them, on the right. The manager might fancy playing Adam Montgomery on the left as Jota hasn’t played any football this season and might not have the fitness to cope with Postecoglou’s demands just yet.

It’s intriguing in the centre of the pitch, too, with Tom Rogic returning from a fairly strenuous double-header with Australia in Qatar and Vietnam. It’s probably going to be Callum McGregor and David Turnbull as two of the three whenever they’re fit and available, which they both are, but there isn’t a suitable deputy for Rogic, unless Liam Shaw is perhaps given a competitive debut. Ismaila Soro or James McCarthy may come in to play as the anchor with the two certainties ahead of him.

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There’s a talking point at right-back as well with Juranovic now challenging Anthony Ralston. The young Scot has done well this season but it remains to be seen if the international break disrupts his momentum with an experienced and high-profile signing breathing down his neck in the pecking order. At left-back will be Taylor if he’s recovered in time, while it probably doesn’t make sense to break up Stephen Welsh and Carl Starfelt despite the addition of Carter-Vickers. We know who will play in goals.

Andy's team: Hart; Ralston, Welsh, Starfelt, Taylor; McCarthy, McGregor, Turnbull; Abada, Giakoumakis, Montgomery.

Sean Martin

Juranovic put in a decent display at left-back on his Celtic debut at Ibrox but with Taylor back to fitness I reckon he slots back in there. That means it's a straight decision between Juranovic and Ralston for the right-back berth and I suppose this is when we will see if the Scot has truly 'made the shirt his own' with his recent good form. 

Despite the presence of Carter-Vickers, I reckon Postecoglou sticks with Welsh and Starfelt in central defence for now with Joe Hart between the posts.

McGregor played the full 90 in two of Scotland's three matches during the international break plus almost half an hour of the other but he'll, as always, be raring to go for this one. Turnbull, conversely, played 13 minutes across those three games so will be well rested.

The same cannot be said of Rogic, who has travelled to Qatar, Vietnam and back while playing two 90-minute matches in the past week so there is a chance he is on the bench with Soro, Nir Bitton or McCarthy, if fit, coming into the midfield.

Up front, Liel Abada is in a similar situation to Turnbull in that he played only a bit-part (in his case, six minutes) of Israel's three matches so he's also had a rest.

With Kyogo out Postecoglou will have to turn to either new number seven Giakoumakis or Albian Ajeti for the central role, with left wing potentially seeing a new face in Jota if James Forrest is not fit to start. Do not, however, rule out a place for Montgomery; Postecoglou clearly has faith in him.

Sean's team: Hart; Ralston, Welsh, Starfelt, Taylor; McGregor, Turnbull; Abada, Rogic, Forrest; Giakoumakis.