Kenny Dalglish has queried whether Michael Beale rings the Rangers changes in order to put the kibosh on Kyogo.
The Celtic striker has been passed fit for the Viaplay Cup Final at Hampden. It was the Japanese forward who denied the Light Blues a big three points back in January when he struck two minutes from time at Ibrox, ensuring Ange Postecoglou’s team escaped Govan with a 2-2- draw.
Kyogo was also the difference the last time Celtic were in the final of this competition. Despite Paul Hanlon heading Hibs in front in 2022, Kyogo turned the game on its head with a double to earn Postecoglou his first trophy as Celtic manager. And Dalglish has hinted that Beale might have to do something different to keep Kyogo quiet this afternoon, while the former Celtic and Liverpool striker believes Alfredo Morelos must start for Rangers if they are to lift the League Cup.
He wrote in his Sunday Post column: “There is no doubt Alfredo is a quality striker. Rangers are better with him in the team than out of it. He’s scored against Celtic previously, but he’s also missed a few golden chances in the Old Firm fixture, including missing a penalty the last time the clubs met at this stage of the competition. The same applies to Kyogo. He equalised late on in the Premiership meeting at Ibrox last month, and showed wonderful composure in doing so.
“He is a class act. His movement is as good as any player in the Scottish game, and I love the way he picks his moments to run in behind. The Japanese striker has the ability and intelligence to hurt any defence, so I wonder how the Rangers backline will cope with him today. His pace over short bursts is exceptional, and the Light Blue shirts may struggle to keep up with him.
"Perhaps Michael will have a plan for Kyogo? Maybe he will look at going to three central defenders, rather than the normal two?”
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