On Tuesday Celtic travel across Cheshire to Northwich to face 1874. Northwich are currently twentieth in the league on five points, after nine games. Seven places and six points behind Celtic.

Promoted Northwich have not had the best of starts to the season. They finished fourth in the Midlands League Premier Division last season, beating local rivals Northwich Victoria in the play-offs to get promotion alongside Hanley Town. Hanley found their feet quicker than Northwich. In their nine games since joining, they have beaten Chasetown at home in the first home match of the season, and drawn at home to Vauxhall and away at Atherton. They are currently seven games without a win, and on three straight defeats.

In their last three matches, they have shipped nine goals, scoring two. Only Congleton have scored fewer this season, with Northwich on six goals over nine games giving them a goals per game ratio of 0.7. At home, they far slightly better, with 0.8 goals per game. Overall, they concede at a rate of 1.6 goals per game, and at home this is 1.2. They have kept one clean sheet, their only win of the season over Chasetown, and failed to score in five (two at home).

We last 1874 Northwich in this league three years ago, and both games finished goalless. Our last visit there saw an explosive second half in which Celtic dominated but couldn’t find a way past Josh Ollerenshaw in the Northwich nets.

In Northwich’s last match, the 3-2 away defeat to Mossley, 1874 lined up as:
1. Max Beddow
2. Mike Ibeto
3. Niall Osbourne
4. Niall Fallon
5. Thomas Mitchell
6. Matthew Woolley
7. Kenny Mwaliteta
8. Blake Robinson
9. Lewis Farmer
10. James Simms
11. Ben Crane

In Celtic’s last match, the 3-1 away defeat in the Trophy to Curzon Ashton, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Mike Koral
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Charlie Doyle
5. Josh Granite
6. Jack Byrne
7. Andy Scarisbrick
8. Liam Tongue
9. Ruben Jerome
10. Jack Irlam
11. Lewis Rawsthorn

Mike Koral, Josh Granite and Andy Scarisbrick all came off injured against Curzon, so Tuesday’s team will give Jon Macken a headache in selection unless they can be brought back to fitness by then.