SFa has issued an official statement after the appointed referee for the Celtic vs Hibernian match made a U-turn at the airport
Celtic face Hibernian on Sunday afternoon as the Scottish Champions return to domestic action after a sobering defeat in the Europa League. The visitors from Edinburgh will be hoping to put pressure on Celtic after the loss to Stuttgart while Martin O’Neill’s side want to bounce back with three points.
The SFA have confirmed the refereeing team for the game at Celtic Park with Matthew MacDermid taking charge of the 3pm meeting.
MacDermid will be assisted by Daniel McFarlane and Chris Rae. The 32-year-old has taken charge of two games this season, a 2-0 defeat away to Dundee then the 4-2 win over Livingston.
Meanwhile, at Clydesdale House, Grant Irvine is on VAR with Ross Hardie assisting.
Celtic have left it late in their last two league games with goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Julian Araujo rescuing all the points against Livi and Killie. Hibs showcased that they can hold firm at Celtic Park back in September.
Celtic top scorer Benjamin Nygren says he and his teammates are looking to win all of their remaining games as they fight to keep a hold of their tag as the best team in Scotland.
The Sweden international was on the scoresheet for the 17th time this season during the 4-1 Europa League last 16 first leg playoff defeat to Stuttgart on Thursday, but admits he took no pleasure from finding himself on the scoresheet again as Martin O’Neill’s men crumbled against their Bundesliga counterparts.
As the club looks to get back to winning ways against Hibs at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon, the 24-year-old has called on the squad to pull together as they look to keep the pressure on both Hearts and Rangers as they look to return to the top of the Scottish Premiership table in the weeks and months to come.
“I’ve said it many times the last couple of weeks that we need to win every game,” explained the Swede. “That’s how it is. That’s what we’ve been doing in the league the last couple of weeks, but we need to continue in that way. It’s in our hands and we’ll do everything to continue to keep on winning.
“I’m very disappointed in the result [vs Stuttgart]. Myself and everyone else hoped for a lot more on the night. It wasn’t good enough. But the games come so quick now, so we need to have our full focus on the important game on Sunday. You need to respect every team you face and we always need a good performance to win the game. That’s what we need to do [against Hibs].”
O’Neill will be boosted by the return of former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the game with Hibs at Celtic Park this weekend after the 32-year-old was forced to miss the Europa League clash with Stuttgart due to ineligibility. Having already shown his undoubted ability by scoring a last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory against Livingston on his debut for the club earlier this month, Nygren thinks the club have signed a difference maker in their quest to hold onto their Scottish Premiership crown.
“He’s such an experienced player with an amazing career,” said Nygren. “He’s won so many titles and has played at the highest level for so many years. So, of course, you can see the quality he has. He showed it on his debut [vs Livingston], a beautiful finish, so he’s going to be an important player for us the rest of the season.”
Asked if the return of Oxlade-Chamberlain can help the club pick up another vital three points against Hibs at the weekend, Nygren said. “I hope so. But all of us need to do very well. It’s not up to one person to save us all. We need to do good, all of us. Most importantly, as a team, you win the games as a team. So, that’s what we need to focus on.”
