If you told Celtic supporters back in early September when we first played our Glasgow rivals this season that Jota could be started on the bench, every one of them would laugh in your face.
He was undroppable and in fantastic form, and of course he played that day when we beat ‘Rangers’ 4-0 at Celtic Park, scoring a world class goal.
But, manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped Jota to the bench for the last two matches as Jota struggled for form against Aberdeen and St Johnstone, and Celtic have looked a far better attacking threat since that decision, with the team scoring 8 goals in the last two matches.
He could very well start and being dropped to the bench could be the kick up the backside he has needed and he will come on and put on a show against our rivals.
Would that surprise any of us? No. Because we all know he is a quality player and fully capable of doing that and is just going through a dip in form at the moment as he did for a spell around the same time last season.
But, can Ange really afford to drop Maeda from the left hand side, especially after his excellent performance and wonder goal against Hibs?
Alternatively, can Ange afford to put Jota on the right in place of Abada, who himself has an excellent record in these fixtures and scored two goals against ‘Rangers’ last time out?
I’m really not sure he can.
We have looked so good attacking wise in these last couple of games that it’s going to be really difficult to bring a player back in who hasn’t been in form is such a crucial match.
However, in Ange we trust, and I’m sure he will make the correct call come Monday and if Jota does start, there is no better time to remind us of just how good a player he is on his day.
