Celtic assistant Shaun Maloney wary of 'really good attacking team' Falkirk

Shaun Maloney expects Falkirk to “go for it” when they travel to Celtic Park on Sunday.

John McGlynn’s side were the visitors in October in the first game after Martin O’Neill returned to the Hoops as interim boss following the departure of Brendan Rodgers and the home side ran out 4-0 winners in their William Hill Premiership clash.

Soon after O’Neill returned as interim boss for a second time this season earlier in the month, after French boss Wilfried Nancy left the building, Celtic took on the Bairns again but this time the victory away from home was more hard-fought, with a Benjamin Nygren goal separating the teams.

Assistant manager Maloney has been impressed by Falkirk and McGlynn, a former Celtic scout.

The former Parkhead striker said: “Yeah, really good. We played them twice.

“The first game against them was the first games for Martin and me and it was probably a really difficult time for Falkirk to come to Celtic Park just because of the feelings for Martin.

“I think we were fortunate to beat them in the last game, although I really liked how we defended the last 20 minutes, where Kasper Schmeichel made a brilliant save.

“So yeah, they’re a really good attacking team.

“The manager used to work here. I worked with him. Our roles weren’t sort of that aligned but the work that he did for me seven, eight years ago was really appreciated.

“I was with the under-19s at the time and John went above and beyond to help me with that.

“So, a really good team. I know some of their players. Calvin Miller’s had a brilliant season so far.

“And they go for it, whether they’re home or away, whether or not they’re against a top-three team, they’ll leave it all out there.

“So really tough game but it’ll be a really open game I think.”

Celtic will have to contend with a tenacious midfielder riding the crest of a wave in the shape of Finn Yeats.

The 21-year-old was a teenager on the scrapheap in 2022 before earning a chance with the Bairns after impressing John McGlynn at the PFA Scotland Exit Trials.

Having fallen out of favour in the first half of this season, former Aberdeen youngster Yeats has started to establish himself in the Premiership over the past two months, starting each of the high-flying Bairns’ last six matches.

His resurgence was capped this week with a contract extension until 2028.

“It’s been a busy two months for me,” said Yeats. “I wasn’t getting much game time and then all of a sudden I’m playing.

“I applied myself well and just stuck at it and kind of just worked extremely hard for that one chance, and it came against Motherwell, and I took that chance.

“So things change quickly in football. Would I expect to be here right now? Probably not, but I stuck at it and here I am.

“I’m just buzzing just now. I’m happy to be here, happy to be contributing.”