Celtic turn their attention away from Scottish Premiership action this afternoon as they travel away from Parkhead to take on St Mirren in the SFA Cup.

The Hoops hammered Buckie Thistle 5-0 in the last round of the competition but now come up against a fellow top-flight team, who could put up a tougher fight.

Brendan Rodgers' side are coming into this match off the back of a 2-1 win at Easter Road against Hibernian in the Premiership on Wednesday night, thanks to two penalties from deadline day signing Adam Idah.

The former Liverpool and Leicester boss, however, may make some alterations to the starting XI from that match to offer opportunities to other players and keep his squad fresh.

With this in mind, Rodgers could go with a 4-2-3-1 formation and make up to six changes to his side. Here is FFC's full predicted Hoops XI to take on St Mirren…

1 Joe Hart

Former Manchester City star Joe Hart could keep his place between the sticks despite it being a cup match. He started in the previous round against Buckie Thistle, keeping a clean sheet, which suggests that the manager is not eager to provide Scott Bain with an opportunity in this competition.

2 Anthony Ralston

Alistair Johnston's head injury looks set to open up a spot at right-back for another player to get an opportunity to impress, and that player could be Anthony Ralston as the first change to the XI.

The Scottish defender was brought on for the Canadian in the ninth minute on Wednesday night and put in a solid shift – winning six of his nine duels throughout the match.

3 Maik Nawrocki

Another enforced change could come at the heart of the defence. Stephen Welsh suffered a hamstring injury against Hibs on Wednesday and is now a doubt for this game.

His absence would allow Polish colossus Maik Nawrocki to come in as the second change to the starting XI for his second start in this competition.

The 23-year-old titan has been solid enough in his eight Premiership appearances so far this season, with a ground duel success rate of 65% and a pass success rate of 87%.

4 Liam Scales

Alongside the summer signing from Legia Warsaw, Liam Scales could keep his place on the left side of the centre-back pairing after a solid display last time out.

The former Aberdeen loanee's Transfermarkt value has soared by a staggering 233%, from €600k to €2m, since Rodgers returned to Parkhead last summer.

5 Alexandro Bernabei

At left-back, Greg Taylor's continued absence means that Alexandro Bernabei is the only natural, senior, option in this position. This could allow him to keep his place in the defence, for now.

6 Odin Thiago Holm

At the base of the midfield, Odin Thiago Holm could be unleashed to provide Matt O'Riley with a rest as the Danish magician has started 24 league matches and the previous SFA Cup clash with Buckie Thistle.

The young whiz was once described as a "huge talent" by scout Jacek Kulig and Celtic may have to wait to feel the full benefit of that as the 21-year-old is still in the early stages of his development.

Holm has only started twice in the Premiership but has provided one assist and created two 'big chances' in his eight appearances in the division.

This match is another opportunity for him to gain valuable minutes to help his growth and convince Rodgers that he deserves more time on the pitch moving forward.

7 Callum McGregor

Alongside the Norwegian talent, captain Callum McGregor could retain his spot to provide leadership and reliability in midfield next to the inexperienced Holm.

8 Liel Abada

On the right of the midfield trio behind the striker, Liel Abada could return to the team ahead of January signing Nicolas Kuhn after the German struggled on Wednesday.

The former Bayern Munich prospect failed to register a single shot on goal or chance created in 65 minutes on the pitch, which illustrates his lack of impact on the match in the final third.

Abada, who assisted Kyogo Furuhashi's goal against Buckie Thistle in the last round, could be provided a chance to stake a claim for his place on the flank.

9 Kyogo Furuhashi

In the number ten position in this 4-2-3-1 line-up, Kyogo could be brought back into the starting XI in place of Paulo Bernardo, who could drop out in order for Rodgers to line up with a dynamic duo in the final third.

The Japan international, instead of being the lone striker in the side, could play in the hole behind Adam Idah and work off the Irish marksman's hold-up play.

This could alleviate the issues sometimes caused by Kyogo's lack of physicality when he is up front on his own. The 29-year-old forward has lost 78% of his aerial battles and 59% of his duels in total across 25 Premiership appearances so far this season for Celtic.

He would not have to contend with as many physical battles against opposition centre-backs as a number ten, which could allow him to focus on his actions in possession to attempt to find the back of the net or create for one of his teammates.

10 Luis Palma

The final change to the XI could come on the left flank with Luis Palma being brought back into the side to replace Daizen Maeda, who struggled against Hibernian.

Appearances

20

18

Key passes per game

3.2

0.5

Big chances created

12

Four

Assists

Nine

Two

Stats via Sofascore

FFC published an article explaining why the Honduras international could supercharge Idah with his sublime creativity in the final third, which is illustrated in the table above.