Lubomir Moravcik trusts his “clever” old team-mate Neil Lennon to get his team selection right for Celtic’s delayed William Hill Scottish Cup final against Hearts on Sunday.
Young midfielders Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull impressed in the recent wins over Lille and Kilmarnock after being given their chance to help the Hoops arrest their poor run of form.
Veteran skipper Scott Brown, who has led Celtic to the brink of a quadruple domestic treble and nine successive titles, was among the substitutes along with Tom Rogic and, for the Killie game, Ryan Christie.
Whether any or all of them return for Hampden Park is subject to mounting speculation, fuelled in part by Lennon when he hinted he could be loyal to the players who go them to the final against the Championship leaders.
Moravcik played for Celtic between 1998 and 2002 and was in the Hoops midfield with Lennon when the Parkhead side clinched the domestic treble in 2001.
Speaking at a William Hill media event via Zoom, the former Slovakia international said: “Scott has been out of the team for two games but I trust Lenny, he is a clever man, he wants to win the game.
“He will put a starting eleven whom he trusts and if Scott is ready I am sure he will start and be an important part of the team.
“But it is up to Lenny, he knows why Scott was out and if he is ready physically. If Scott is ready he deserves to play because he is an important man in the team.
“I don’t know if the young guys are ready for a cup final. It is a special game, a final, you have to be psychologically ready to play in an important game.
“Maybe they have the quality to play again. Why not? It is up to Lenny to trust them in the starting 11.
“It is a special game. It is 90 minutes, maybe extra time against a team who is top of second league.
“It is a little bit dangerous, you have to be mentally ready to play against the team from the second league but it is still hard. They are a big club in the history of Scottish football.”
– Lubo Moravcik was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is the proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.
