Celtic team to face Real Madrid named as injured star returns among four changes

Celtic defender Carl Starfelt will make only his third start of the season in the Bernabeu after being included in the starting 11 to face Real Madrid.

The Swedish centre-back has had an injured-ravaged season so far, missing the early weeks of the campaign, returning in mid-August before suffering another knock in the 4-0 win over Rangers on September 3 that has kept him out for the past two months.

Head coach Ange Postecoglou may not have ideally thrown the 27-year-old in for his first game back away to the reigning European champions, but his hand has been forced after Celtic travelled to Madrid without Cameron Carter-Vickers, who picked up an injury in the 3-0 win in Livingston on Sunday.

Starfelt, however, has been back in full training for the past week and has been preferred to the more inexperienced Stephen Welsh.

Carl Starfelt is back in the Celtic starting line-up for the first time in two months. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Postecoglou has made a further three changes from the weekend with Josip Juranovic returning to the right-back position in favour of Anthony Ralston, who drops to the bench.

Sead Haskabanovic and James Forrest have also been benched with Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda taking their place in the front three, either side of central striker Kyogo Furuhashi.

Fan favourite Jota has also had to make do with a place among the substitutes despite scoring off the bench on his return from injury on Sunday.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelloti has rested star striker Karim Benzema, naming the recent Ballon d’Or winner on the bench.

Celtic team: Hart, Juranovic, Taylor, Starfelt, Jenz, O’Reilly, Hatate, Mooy, Maeda, Kyogo, Abada. Subs: Bain, Siegrist, Giakoumakis, Haksabanovic, Turnbull, McCarthy, Jota, Bernabei, Abildgaard, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh.