Celtic v Young Boys: Itten & Contini search for form as Swiss side visit Glasgow
With the utmost respect, that probably sums up where they are now when you learn that the Young Boys’ top scorer is Cedric Itten, whose Rangers career never really took off, at 48 He has scored just eight goals in every game, although he can point to two wins and two brief spells against Celtic during Rangers’ title-winning run in 2020-21.
One of the problems facing Itten and his teammates appears to be the lack of a consistent team as every coach looks for the secret to winning. Injuries didn’t help their cause either.
As a result, Contini opted to use 22-year-old Marvin Keller in goal instead of stalwart David von Balmers for Saturday’s game, with young French defender Donguire Zuclu returning from injury. He returned after three months of recovery and partnered with captain Loris Benito, who himself had just recovered from injury. Neither defender Jaouen Hadjam nor Lewin Blum are the mainstays of the team.
To be fair, midfielder Filip Uglinic has started all but one game this season, while alongside him Lucas Lakomi has been a regular since returning from injury at the end of October.
Behind Iten, Darian Marais and Joel Monteiro do provide scoring threat and creativity, while Ebrima Kohli, who also received the nod at the weekend, has joined on a permanent loan from Atalanta since last season After still not finding the first goal.
A trip to Celtic Park, where the hosts are unbeaten in five games in the Champions League and 29 in all competitions, may not be at the forefront of Continini’s wishes as he tries to mold a team to arrest the decline. Undefeated.
