Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton believes manager Martin O'Neill will deploy Daizen Maeda as the central striker when the Hoops face rivals Rangers in the highly anticipated Ibrox derby tomorrow afternoon. Sutton's prediction comes ahead of a crucial Scottish Premiership clash where Celtic aims to solidify their attacking strategy.

O'Neill has experimented with his front line in recent fixtures. In last weekend's match against Danny Rohl's side, Junior Adamu started in the central role. Following that, Tomas Cvancara led the attack during Celtic's vital 2-1 victory away to Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Wednesday night, March 4, 2026.

With the crucial striker position still under debate for the upcoming derby, Sutton shared his insights in his weekly column for the Daily Record. He expressed reservations about other options, stating, “Who knows what’s happening with Kelechi Iheanacho as he only can play in Europe it seems, while Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu haven’t showed yet they are the ones who can be trusted to lead the line.”

This assessment leaves Daizen Maeda as the most viable option in Sutton's view. The former Celtic striker highlighted Maeda's impact in a previous game, noting, “That leaves Daizen Maeda again. He made a difference through the middle in the second half last week and I’d expect him to get the call again this time.”

However, Sutton also cautioned that Maeda must rediscover his goal-scoring form to be effective in the demanding role. He added, “But he’s really going to have to rediscover his goal scoring touch, otherwise it’s going to be another struggle.” The outcome of today's tie will see the winners join Falkirk and Dunfermline in the hat for next month’s semi-finals, alongside either St Mirren or Partick Thistle.