Celtic return to action in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since the first international break of the season as they face off against Dundee at Parkhead this afternoon.
What was Celtic's last result?
The Hoops maintained their position at the top of the league table with a 1-0 win in the Old Firm clash in their last game before the national team matches kicked off.
Kyogo Furuhashi scored a stunning goal to secure all three points against Michael Beale's side at the start of the month. The Japan international raced in behind Connor Goldson, from Matt O'Riley's clever header, and rifled a terrific volley into the bottom corner and past Jack Butland.
Brendan Rodgers was without the likes of Maik Nawrocki and Cameron Carter-Vickers but Liam Scales and Gustaf Lagerbielke produced solid displays to keep a clean sheet intact throughout the 90 minutes.
What's the latest Celtic team news?
The Northern Irish head coach has revealed that Reo Hatate is back in training and could be available for selection against Dundee this weekend.
Marco Tilio, who is yet to make his Celtic debut, has also recovered from his injury issue but may need time to work his fitness levels back up and get used to the group before he hits his stride.
Meanwhile, Cameron Carter-Vickers is closing in on his return to action and could be back over the weeks to come, although he will not be in contention to start this afternoon.
The Hoops have, however, been dealt a huge blow in the build-up to this match as Liel Abada is set to be out for between three and four months with a thigh injury that was sustained on international duty, Rodgers has confirmed.
Football FanCast already published an article explaining why South Korean ace Hyun-jun Yang should come into the starting XI in place of the Israel international.
However, there could also be a change on the other flank as Luis Palma could be in line to make his Hoops debut after joining from Aris FC during the summer transfer window.
Will Luis Palma start against Dundee?
Rodgers should unleash the Honduras international from the start on the left wing as the talented ace has the potential to offer more than Daizen Maeda at the top end of the pitch.
The 23-year-old forward, who was described as "ambitious" by his new manager, was as an unused substitute against Rangers earlier this month and went on to enjoy an excellent international break with his country.
Palma produced a phenomenal performance against Grenada as he recorded a Sofascore rating of 9.1 and contributed with one goal and one assist, along with five shots on target and three chances created for his teammates across the 90 minutes.
The £3.5m signing also arrived at Celtic off the back of a terrific start to the season with Aris in Greece. He racked up two goals and three assists in five matches in all competitions, which included two goals and two assists in four Europa Conference League qualifiers.
As per Sofascore, the 5 foot 10 magician created four chances, one 'big chance', and assisted one goal in his only top-flight appearance for Aris this term, which earned him a rating of 7.7.
Palma came into the 2023/24 campaign after an impressive season last term, as he proved himself to be a reliable goalscoring option from out wide.
The gifted wizard averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.12 across 20 Super League starts and chipped in with 11 goals and four assists, along with 1.4 key passes per game.
He also contributed with two goals and four assists in seven cup appearances for Aris, including three assists in four Europa Conference League qualifiers, which meant that he scored 13 goals and provided eight assists in total throughout the campaign.
How many goals did Maeda score last season?
Maeda, on the other hand, scored 11 times and assisted seven in 49 matches in all competitions for the Hoops during the 2022/23 campaign.
The Japan international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.78 across 35 Scottish Premiership games, which included 25 starts, and chipped in with eight goals and five assists.
This means that the attacker was directly involved in a goal once every 1.92 league starts on average last term, whilst Palma produced one goal involvement every 1.33 starts on average for Aris.
These statistics indicate that the £3.5m-rated whiz has the potential to provide goals and assists with greater regularity than Maeda on the wing, if he can translate his form from Greece over to Scottish football.
The Honduras international's aforementioned 1.4 key passes per game also suggest that he could provide more creativity than the Japanese marksman as he only conjured 0.8 per match last season.
So far this season, Maeda has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.03 and assisted one goal, whilst he has failed to find the back of the net once in four Premiership starts for the Bhoys.
He has already missed four 'big chances' in front of goal, which comes after he spurned 11 of them last term, and this shows that the 25-year-old gem has been wasteful at the top end of the pitch.
Whereas, Palma has only missed one 'big chance' in 30 league games since the start of last season to go along with his 11 goals in that time, which means that the 23-year-old maestro could be a far more reliable option in the final third for Rodgers in comparison to Maeda.
Therefore, the Northern Irish head coach must now move the Japan international aside and onto the bench for this clash with Dundee in order to offer Palma the opportunity to showcase his quality on the left wing.
The talented whiz is coming off the back of an impressive international break and could, therefore, be full of confidence and ready to produce a big performance on his debut for the Scottish giants this afternoon.
Maeda has not provided a regular source of goals or assists over the last 12 months or so and Palma's statistics for club and country during that period indicate that he could be an upgrade on him, if he can adapt to life in Scotland and hit the ground running today.