On Monday evening, Celtic travel across to Widnes’s DCBL stadium to face City of Liverpool. Liverpool are currently eighteenth in the table on four points, eleven places and three points behind Celtic, with a game in hand. Kick-off is 7:45.

With one win, a draw, and two losses behind them, Liverpool are not in the drop zone on goal difference only. Monday will be their second home match, having last drawn 0-0 at home to second bottom Hanley Town. Both Widnes and Witton beat them 2-1 and 2-0, respectively. Their win is where their goal difference improved, beating Wythenshawe 4-1. Last season, Liverpool squeaked into the top five, thanks to a significantly better goal difference than Witton, but lost out in the play-offs. They finished seven places and ten points above Celtic. In the FA Trophy on Saturday, Liverpool also went to penalties after their match at home to Mossley finished 2-2. Liverpool converted four of their penalties, whilst Mossley got two.

Xenon Bathula has netted twice so far this season, with three other players wading in to provide their five goals (they have also conceded five). They’ve scored and conceded an average of 0.8 goal this season, though at home they are yet to score or concede. Liverpool have also yet to concede in the opening forty minutes of a match, though they have found the net in the opening five minutes, scoring in their opening day 2-1 defeat away at Witton. Their two goals in Saturday's Trophy match were both scored by Arthur Lomax.

Last season, in our two games, Celtic won the first 4-2 at Bower Fold, with Darius Osei, Connor O’Grady and Aaron Dwyer on the score sheet, along with an own goal from Michael Grogan. In the return fixture, it finished 1-1, with a last-minute goal from Josh Quarless rescuing Liverpool a point after Max Leonard converted a penalty.

In Liverpool’s last match, the 2-2 home draw in the Trophy to Mossley, Liverpool lined up as:
1. Calvin Hare
2. Michael Simpson
3. Jack Hont
4. Adam Rooney
5. Ibrahim Conteh
6. Simon Willis
7. Elliot Morris
8. Ismail Sonko
9. Danny Mitchley
10. Ethan Jones
11. Arthur Lomax

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-1 home draw with Ossett United, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Javid Swaby-Neavin
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Jordan Butterworth
5. Aaron Chalmers
6. Jack Tinning
7. Ash Leather
8. Liam Tongue
9. Joe Duckworth
10. Max Leonard
11. Jack Bannister

The league is now Celtic’s sole focus and results need to roll in, if we are to have any kind of chance for promotion this season. Although we’ve played well so far this season, with a few minutes of concentration loss here and there, this has not translated into goals. Liverpool are up there defensively, so Celtic will have thier work cut out.