As Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou gears up for his fifth Glasgow Derby of the season – which, incidentally, will also be the 675th managerial outing of a long and successful career – he does have some pondering to do.

In comparison rookie manager Michael Beale (in advance of his 46th game at the helm of a club) does not have his troubles to seek over Ibrox way as injuries, want-aways and boardroom chaos surely dominates his thinking.

But it is of course the champions that we concentrate on here and, as such, here are five conundrums that must be addressed if a Scottish Cup final berth is to be achieved and the opportunity for a crowning conclusion to the season seized…

Cameron Carter-Vickers

We’ll start with one that probably won’t take a lot of pondering. Rumours are rife that the American defender is due a knee operation to correct an issue that has hitherto been ‘managed’ for much of the season.

He was rested for the visit to Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park carpet but reappeared in the following 1-1 draw at home to Motherwell.

Carter-Vickers was noticeably circumspect against the Steelmen. He engaged in 10 duels – compared to 18 by his central-defensive partner Carl Starfelt – and completed 68 passes while the Swede connected with 91. All of this was despite the fact Celtic were strangely right-side dominant in the game.

We cannot forget an uncharacteristically skittish performance from the normally consistent centre-back when Celtic triumphed 3-2 in the recent league encounter over the Ibrox men either.

READ MORE: Why Tomoki Iwata could be Celtic's Scottish Cup semi-final ace in the hole

An early – and harsh – yellow card seemed to unsettle him and thereafter it appeared he played a lack of penetrative forward passes, though perhaps by design.

There has been speculation that Starfelt will move to the right to allow Yuki Kobayashi to play on the left-hand side. The young Japanese defender has looked assured and particularly progressive with the ball when he has featured.

However, given Carter-Vickers played in the Motherwell game it would be surprising and disruptive to shuffle the deck again in this position where stability and partnership continuity are paramount.

I suspect we’ll see the usual trusted pairing but I hope Celtic are not taking risks with the American’s fitness and that, for the long term, any knee issues are managed sensitively.

Midfield configuration

With Aaron Mooy only recently returning from an injury and Reo Hatate tackling a hamstring problem but perhaps back in training this week, the central midfield area has been stretched.

The manager has preferred to blood Tomoki Iwata, the J1 League Player of the Year, and he has started three out the last four matches in partnership with Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley. The exception in that run was the 3-2 derby win at Celtic Park.

For the latter win, Mooy was brought straight back into the side. The outcome was mixed with the Australian coughing up four pack turnovers (a season-high) and completing zero pack passes. He completed one key pass but managed zero shots on goal. After his injury he looked sluggish and it appeared a failed gamble.

With Iwata, Celtic have a higher degree of solidity in central midfield but lose a degree of creativity. The Japanese midfielder rarely gets past the strikers (four touches in the opposition box in all appearances) with an average expected assist rate of 0.18 and expected goals of 0.04 per 90 minutes.

Playing McGregor and Iwata seemed to play into Motherwell’s gameplan to crowd the central midfield. The pass network map from StatsBomb showed the pair occupying very similar areas.

This makes breaking down the normal 5-3-2 low block Celtic face in the league trickier, but the manager may like the greater defensive cover this lends when up against higher-quality opposition.

Pitching Mooy back in would increase the level of creativity as, given he is now three weeks into his return, we should expect a return closer to his average 2.63 chances created and 0.38 xA per 90 minutes. But it would also leave McGregor with more space to cover given the athleticism deficit between Iwata and Mooy.

A further consideration is that the creative burden falls heavily on O’Riley’s shoulders. This misfired on the weekend as, although he created five chances, he gave up the ball 15 times in the opposition defensive third without creating danger. Playing Iwata and McGregor puts a lot of pressure on his plate to be that sole creative force.

I suspect Celtic will go with Iwata and McGregor and have Mooy as a very useful creative option off the bench. What will need to improve, though, is showing a more aggressive attacking of space by whichever of the two players occupy the eight roles.

Celtic Way:

Reo Hatate

Celtic have a run of injuries to key game-changing players at the same time. It is a big squad (the most expensive in the league, so few tears shed) but it provides further intrigue as to the starting XI.

Hatate has been laid low with a hamstring injury, which isn’t one you want to take chances with. As well as energy, the 25-year-old provides those unexpected moments that can turn a game. And he seems to love the derbies especially.

He last appeared on March 18 against Hibernian before going off after 13 minutes. Given the nature of the injury and the length of time he has been recuperating, I believe it will be too much of a stretch – no pun intended – for him to start this game.

An appearance on the bench and a cameo should be most we can expect.

Right wing

The last two matches have provided Sead Haksabanovic with an opportunity to cement a starting berth in this Celtic team for the crucial run-in.

The Montenegrin has predominantly started wide left (or come on as a substitute more often) and benefitted from the sub-dividend many others have reaped rewards from. The five-sub rule has allowed Celtic to bring on a fresh forward line in matches of such quality that, given the effort teams expend keeping the champions at bay without the ball, can simply overload the opposition late in games.

Individuals can benefit from a form of ‘stat-padding’; putting up good numbers but against tired defences. Starting matches is much more onerous against fresh, organised foes.

Haksabanovic has struggled to impose his subtle blend of shimmies, clever through balls and well-aimed shots against starting defences, especially coming in from the right.

In two matches, he has managed only four touches in the opposition box (0.1 xG from two shots) and created one chance but lost the ball 12 times in the opposition defensive third. He has been turned over nine times.

If Liel Abada is back training after a muscle injury then he, like Hatate, has not played since March 18. Six weeks is a long time to then be thrown into a high-pressure game on a heavy pitch.

Like Hatate, it will be surprising if Abada is thrown into this tie but having such a game-changing presence on the bench will be a boost.

Celtic must hope Jota, who has only been out for two weeks, maintains enough fitness to be able to start this cup tie. Taking risks with him would obviously be inadvisable – but his presence would be a huge boost.

Failing that, the manager may consider switching Daizen Maeda and Haksabanovic and allowing the latter the comfort of coming in from the left into the ‘10’ spaces where he seems more comfortable.

Set-piece defence

The main danger for Celtic in the recent 3-2 win was the opposition threat from set-plays. A foul count of 19-12 against the champions despite the Hoops having 54 per cent possession allowed many deep crosses into the box.

Rangers created 0.46 xG off five set-play chances while 0.52 came from three open-play chances. This season Celtic have conceded 8.4 xG from set-plays (direct passes and secondary actions) in 46 matches, or 0.18 per game. Last season it was 11.51 from 60 games (0.19 per game).

So this isn’t really a worsening feature of Celtic’s game. Indeed, despite his weaknesses in open play, Starfelt is an excellent box defender. But it was certainly a feature of the last derby and the best prevention is not giving away set-plays anywhere near the box. Easier said than done.

Summary

Given the injuries to key creative personnel, the Hoops will rely on O’Riley and hope that one of Iwata and McGregor are more aggressive in breaking into the box while also that Haksabanovic can rediscover form from wide areas. As said, Jota’s return would be a massive boost.

Given the length of time they have been out, it is simply very unlikely Abada or Hatate will be risked from the start but their appearance on the bench will be similarly refreshing.

Celtic have the better manager, starting XI and squad but anything can happen in a cup tie. That is why diligence at set-piece defence will be key.

There is, then, so much to ponder… but it is all ahead of Celtic for what would be a glorious end to the campaign.