The 32-year-old Celtics player Brendan Rodgers needs to start tonight against Lazio.

Another Champions League night, another chance for Celtic and Brendan Rodgers to clinch the crucial three points required to keep their European hopes alive.

The Celtic manager understands that anything less than a win effectively ends their chances of making the last 16. A draw or a win, on the other hand, means that Europe after Christmas is still a possibility.

To do so, Celtic will need all of their players to be on top of their game, and those with experience on big nights will be critical if the Hoops are to bring anything home from Rome.

And that means difficult, if not unpopular, decisions about Celtic’s lineup must be made tonight.

Why James Forrest must start Celtic’s match against Lazio tonight

Brendan Rodgers’ hand is forced in some ways to start James Forrest due to Daizen Maeda’s injury and the suspension of Luis Palma.

The Celtic manager does, however, have other options besides the ‘wonderful’ 32-year-old.

Marco Tilio and Mikey Johnston could both play on the right side, and Hyunjun Yang, if fit, could play on the left flank. However, with only 45 minutes of first-team football under his belt and still not fully up to speed, Rodgers should avoid putting him in.

Earlier in the Champions League campaign, the Hoops manager made a mistake by starting Cameron Carter-Vickers against Lazio at Celtic Park.

In his first game back from injury, the US defender slipped, allowing Pedro to score the game-winning goal at the last second. Celtic cannot afford to take such a risk in the Champions League tonight.

That is why Forrest is so important. The Celtic winger has played in 24 group-stage games against some of Europe’s best defenders during his career. Not to mention the 43 qualifying games he has played in to get Celtic into those same group stages. [Transfermarkt]

His experience in these types of games will help him provide an outball as Lazio is likely to come at Celtic as they look to secure their place in the last 16.

Many Celtic fans doubt his current ability due to his age, but there is no doubt that when called upon, Forrest rarely disappoints the team.

Celtic need at least a point tonight to keep their European dream alive, and if Forrest plays, he could be instrumental in achieving that and making tonight’s match against Feyenoord a very special night indeed.

In other news, Brendan Rodgers issues a Celtic red card warning ahead of their match against Lazio in a bid to keep their European hopes alive.