Celtic really have kicked up a gear since the majority of their injured players have returned to first-team action.
Reo Hatate has been injured for much of the season but has come back to the fold and has already made a difference.
Cameron Carter-Vickers has been flitting in and out of the team due to a recurring injury problem but now looks back to his best.
And Callum McGregor looked really sharp and impressed the Celtic fans in the 3-0 win over Hearts on Saturday. But it was neither of these three players that had James McFadden looking to the Rangers game at the weekend with a sense of positivity for Brendan Rodgers.
The Sky Sports pundit was speaking about Daizen Maeda returning to Celtic’s bench in the win over Hearts when he said that his return from injury is ‘great timing’ for the Celtic boss.
McFadden said [Sky Sports], “It’s great timing because it looked like he was potentially going to miss the rest of the season.
“So to have him back, we know how much he loves playing against Rangers and how effective he is playing against Rangers.
The Japanese winger has been a superb contributor for Celtic in the Glasgow Derby. In 13 appearances, Maeda has been on the winning side eight times.
Celtic have also drawn three and lost only two whenever Maeda has been in the team for a game against Rangers.
He has also scored twice, both remarkably at Ibrox, after terrorising James Tavernier in the 2-2 draw in the 2023 New Year derby and the recent 3-3 Ibrox draw.
The Japanese winger has also created three assists against Rangers with the most memorable one being in the Scottish Cup semi-final in last season’s treble win.
Maeda coming back to the Celtic first team is not only a massive boost for the game at the weekend but also for the title run-in as a whole.
Because what the Celtic forward offers the team is unmatched by any other player in the squad and Brendan Rodgers will be over the moon that he is available for next weekend’s fixture.
