Livingston

Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

The cup defeat at Parkhead has to be one of the oddest games of the season. We leaked four goals from our comedy defending and Celtic dominated the ball, but we were pretty disappointed not to at least take it to extra time.

No one gave Livi a chance, but we gave Celtic a game and maybe even a tiny bit of a fright.

The hope now is that the players take confidence from the performance into our league form. None of the pundits think we are likely to stay up but it's not over yet.

We are in an a awful position but there are still enough games to get up the table. Hibs are next up and we’ve got an up-and-down record against them.

Someone who could play a huge deciding role in this game and the run-in is Tete Yengi. The big Australian has been a standout since arriving in January. He’s scoring the goals we’ve lacked all season so if he’s fit and on form we have a chance.

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• Celtic have now beaten Livingston seven times in a row with an aggregate score of 20-4, since the sides drew 0-0 in October 2021 at Celtic Park.

• Brendan Rodgers has won all 15 matches he has taken charge of in the Scottish Cup with Celtic.

• Celtic attempted 31 shots in the game, registering 11 on target.

• Daizen Maeda scored his first hat-trick for Celtic in his 100th appearance for the club – it is the first time he has scored more than one goal in a game for Celtic.

Livingston manager David Martindale believes goalkeeper Joe Hart kept Celtic in the game as the West Lothian side twice recovered from a goal down only to concede twice late on in Sunday's Scottish Cup loss. (Herald - subscription required), external

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Jamie Brandon admits Livingston need to turn good performances into results, with the side six points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Livi made things difficult for Celtic in the Scottish Cup quarter-final, with the scores at 2-2 until Daizen Maeda added a third for the hosts in the 86th minute.

Brendan Rodgers' side went on to win 4-2, but Brandon - playing at centre-back instead of his usual full-back role - says Livingston should take heart from a strong showing at Celtic Park.

"It was a great performance from the boys," Brandon said. "We came here with a gamneplan and executed it well.

"When you play these teams you have to stay switched on the full game and they catch us out in the 86th minute. From there we go chasing the game and get caught again.

"It's disappointing but it was a great performance from the boys.

"That was a real positive for us today - we came here and had a threat on the counter-attack, the boys that were playing in the forward areas.

"Every game in the league is really important now. We can't talk about performances, ultimately we need results to try to get us out of the position we're in now."

Were you at Celtic Park or watch on TV as the Scottish Cup holders progressed to the semi-finals despite a battling display from Livingston?

We want to read your thoughts. Give us your views here.

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The pressure was back on Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic side after they fell short when given the opportunity to go back to the top of the Scottish Premiership last weekend.

Defeat by Heart of Midlothian was compounded by the loss of captain Callum McGregor and centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers through injury and their leadership was clearly missing.

Rodgers' side enjoyed their traditional lions' share of possession, but they looked vulnerable at the back before their superior resources off the bench proved the difference and kept them in the hunt to lift the cup for a 42nd time amid much relief around Parkhead.

David Martindale had bemoaned his need to field a "makeshift" midfield such were Livingston's absences, but the Livingston manager has made his name from making the most of the players at his disposal - and so it was again.

They will be disappointed to exit the cup considering they came close to going ahead at 2-2, but the league remains their priority.

Martindale has found a bit of a gem in Tete Yengi and the former Ipswich Town striker could yet be the difference between staying up and going down as the West Lothian side look to show similar battling qualities and clinical finishing in the Premiership run-in.

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Livingston manager David Martindale told BBC Scotland: "It was a good game, but it was disappointing at the same time because I thought we had a wee opportunity.

"We get sucker-punched into the third goal. Fourth goal, I'm not really too fussed about. We just threw caution to the wind.

"It's probably one of the few occasions we've come here and we've genuinely been in the game. I think we genuinely had the opportunity to win the game today and posed a threat.

"We have them too much territory after the second goal. We were value for money and the players stuck to the shape."

On whether the performances gives him hope for Premiership survival, he adds: "I've never not had that hope personally. We've got some big players coming back over the next two weeks. I've always thought we can stay in the league.

"I'm not going to sit here and lie, it's been a painful season. The players have got to take a wee bit of self belief because that shows what these players are capable of doing."

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Cameron Carter-Vickers, who had returned from injury to play Celtic's latest three games, is a notable absentee, with Stephen Welsh coming into the centre of defence.

The only other change is Nicolas Kühn starting on the wing in place of the suspended Yang Hyun-jun.

Fellow winger Luis Palma had been an injury doubt and does not even make the bench.

As expected, Livingston are without captain Michael Devlin after the defender was forced off last weekend against St Johnstone.

He is one of three absentees, with midfielders David Carson and Jason Holt also not even making the bench, as manager David Martindale makes five changes in all.

Veteran on-loan Heart of Midlothian goalkeeper Michael McGovern is preferred to Shamal George, who is joined on the bench by Andrew Shinnie despite the midfielder's goal in Perth last weekend.

Joel Nouble returns to attack, with Jamie Brandon in defence, while Steven Bradley and Stephen Kelly are in midfield.

Celtic: Hart, Johnston, Welsh, Scales, Taylor, Iwata, O'Riley, Bernardo, Maeda, Kuhn, Idah.

Substitutes: Bain, Lagerbielke, Furuhashi, Holm, Oh, Vata, Kelly, Forrest, Ralston.

Livingston: McGovern, Montano, Obileye, Kelly, MacKay, Brandon, Bradley, Nouble, Nottingham, Kelly, Yengi.

Substitutes: George, Donnellan, Anderson, Sangare, Shinnie, Guthrie, Culbert.

Celtic have lost Yang Hyun-jun to suspension following his failed appeal against his red card against Hearts. The holders remain without midfielders Callum McGregor (Achilles/calf) and Reo Hatate (calf) along with defender Maik Nawrocki (hamstring). Liel Abada has left the club and Alexandro Bernabei has moved on loan.

Livingston captain Michael Devlin is likely to drop out after being forced off last weekend but Cristian Montano and Shaun Donnellan are hoping to feature following fitness issues. James Penrice (hip), Scott Pittman (Achilles) and goalkeeper Jack Hamilton (groin) remain out.

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Stephen Kelly insists Livingston believe they can put their league struggles to one side and cause an upset away to Celtic in the Scottish Cup on Sunday.

Kelly knows what it takes to win at Parkhead, having done so twice during his loan stint with Ross County, and he says Livi have to stay in the game as long as possible.

“Every game you go in with a game plan on how you want to win, how you want to stop the other team, how you want to attack yourselves," Kelly said.

“Obviously when you go to Celtic Park or Ibrox, the longer you keep it 0-0, the more you grow into the game.

“I think it is just a case of that, don’t lose the first goal, but also try and build ourselves into the game and cause a threat going the other way.

“It’s all about the collective. As long as the collective gets the performance. You just need full concentration from the first minute to the last.”

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• Celtic have won both meetings against Livingston this season, with an aggregate scoreline of 5-0.

• Kyogo Furuhashi has scored in both of Celtic's Scottish Cup wins this season, against Buckie Thistle and St Mirren.

• The last time the sides met in the Scottish Cup was in February 2007, when a Derek Riordan double helped Celtic come from behind to win 4-1.

Can David Martindale's men cause a huge Scottish Cup upset by knocking out the holders when they travel to Parkhead on Sunday?

Who should be in the starting lineup? Put yourself in Martindale's shoes and choose your XI here.

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David Martindale insists Livingston will not go to Celtic Park for their Scottish Cup quarter-final with any fear, but "expectations and hope".

However, the Livi manager believes Celtic are still formidable opponents - despite last week's defeat to Hearts after Yang Hyun-Jun's red card.

"I don’t think you can read that much into the game [against Hearts]," Martindale said. "We played Celtic here last year when they had 10 men and they still beat us 3-0.

"They are a good team and Brendan [Rodgers] is a top manager. Two points off the top with two Old Firm games to go.

"I’m not really buying into that narrative if I’m honest. They have a top manager, they are a top club and it’s going to be a difficult game of football.

"You have to match them, you have to be aggressive, you have to get your distances correct and that’s the difficult part as they will force you into a low block at times.

"We go with expectations and hope. We don't go there with fear."

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David Martindale has faced the media ahead of Livingston's Scottish Cup quarter-final against Celtic.

Here were his main points.

• Team will head to Celtic Park on Sunday with "hope and expectation" but not fear, and still believes the club can reach semi-finals at Hampden despite poor league form

• Celtic are a "formidable" side regardless of the number of players they have on the pitch - referring to Hyun-Jun Yang's red card in the side's loss to Hearts.

• Takes confidence having picked up points at Celtic Park in recent years when Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon and Ange Postecoglou have been in charge.

• Believes game management will be important if Livingston are to stay in the game, and says his side will have to match Celtic and be "aggressive".

• Financially the club will benefit with a six-figure sum for the tie at Celtic Park, but says this will not go into the team's player budget and "imagines so" that it will instead will go towards covering court costs.

• Team news - Mikey Devlin's scan came back and is "not the worst" but "this game is too early for him". Cristian Montano will train with the team today, and Shaun Donnellan has also returned to training. Scott Pittman and James Penrice still missing, with the hope Livi will get them back after the international break.

Former player Stuart Lovell believes it will take a "minor miracle" for Livingston to overcome Celtic in Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final. (Herald - subscription required), external

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Former Livingston captain Stuart Lovell says David Martindale's side need to stay unbeaten until the Premiership split if they want to stave off relegation.

The West Lothian side are six points adrift at the foot of the Scottish Premiership, having played a game more than Ross County above them.

Lovell - who famously won the League Cup with the Lions in 2004 - sees signs of a possible recovery, with recent performances improving, but says results simply have to follow performances.

"They don’t have a lot of time to turn things around," Lovell said. "But in the last five games [of the season] they’re going to be playing against the weaker teams, that’s a fact.

"So they’ve got more chance of getting points against the weaker teams than they would against the top six. It’s not done until it’s done, but the gap now is far too big.

"I would say they need to go unbeaten between now and the split to have any chance of staying up."

Lovell also believes Livi have been boosted by the arrival of Tete Yengi in January, and says the players are clearly still fighting for manager Martindale.

“The signing of Yengi in January has definitely given them a lift, given them more of an attacking threat," Lovell said.

"They’ve had a number of games recently where they’ve managed to get their noses in front. The problem is they can’t seem to register a clean sheet.

"I don’t think anyone could accuse Livingston of having downed tools. I’ve seen them a number of times this year and not once have I thought ‘they’ve chucked it’. They still seem to be playing for each other and responding to the manager."