Celtic secured a spot in the League Cup final on Saturday after a dominant performance against Aberdeen at Hampden Park. Aberdeen had been unbeaten across all competitions this season, with their last loss coming against Celtic in the SFA Cup semi-finals via penalties in April. The two teams also faced off in the Scottish Premiership, where Celtic blew a 2-0 lead at halftime, resulting in a 2-2 draw, leaving them tied in the league standings.
However, the recent semi-final was a stark contrast, with Celtic decisively overpowering Aberdeen. Cameron Carter-Vickers scored first with a header from a corner, followed by Kyogo Furuhashi’s goal, set up by Daizen Maeda. Maeda then went on to score a hat-trick, and Nicolas Kuhn sealed the win with a spectacular strike off the crossbar.
Greg Taylor, left out of the starting lineup, might be concerned about his place, especially with Alex Valle’s recent strong performances. Taylor, who had a solid season start, has recently returned from a hamstring injury, missing 17 days in October, which allowed others to step in. Despite Taylor’s three assists and consistent play, his struggles in Europe have been notable, with a subpar Champions League performance, marked by limited creativity and a low duel success rate.
Valle, on loan from Barcelona, has adapted quickly, showing defensive consistency and even outshining Taylor offensively in some aspects. Valle’s stats reflect higher reliability in defense, particularly his success in ground and aerial duels, and he has yet to be dribbled past in the Premiership. His impressive play at left-back, combined with solid defensive support for Celtic’s attack, suggests he may be a permanent fixture in the lineup over Taylor.
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