Celtic made their way through to the final of the SFA Cup on Saturday as they came out on top on penalties against Aberdeen at Hampden Park.
The Hoops made hard work of the match, as they went 1-0, 2-1, and 3-1 up at various points on the day, only to be pegged back each time by the Dons.
It then came down to spot-kicks and Joe Hart went from villain to hero with a missed penalty followed by a crucial save from the spot to send his team through to the final.
They will now face off against rivals Rangers in the final next month as they hope to end the season with at least one domestic cup, having been knocked out of the League Cup by Kilmarnock in August of last year.
The Glasgow giants look set to be without at least one player for the showpiece at Hampden and for the Scottish Premiership title run-in, though, as Daizen Maeda's season appears to be all-but-over.
What Brendan Rodgers has said about Daizen Maeda's injury
Brendan Rodgers revealed earlier this month that the Japan international is unlikely to feature much before the end of the 2023/24 campaign due to an injury.
The Northern Irish boss said that he was "not sure" that the attacker would be seen again this term, and that he does not expect the winger to play much as there is only a small window for him to recover and return to action over the next few weeks.
After the 3-0 win over St Mirren, it was confirmed that Maeda had suffered a hamstring injury and "unfortunately" – per Rodgers – it does not look like he will be able to play any more of a role on the pitch in Celtic's bid to land the SFA Cup and the Premiership title before the end of the season.
Appearances
25
Goals
5
Assists
2
Big chances missed
12
Key passes per game
0.5
Duel success rate
44%
As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old whiz has struggled in front of goal with a staggering 12 'big chances' missed and just five goals scored.
This suggests that his finishing has been below par in the Premiership as he has been wasteful with the opportunities that have been created for him by his teammates.
However, Rodgers once claimed that Maeda has the "work rate of two players" on the pitch, which speaks to the work the Japanese ace puts in out of possession for the team.
The manager must now find a reliable performer to nail down the left wing slot as a replacement for the Japan international, and James Forrest could emerge as a surprise candidate to be a regular starter ahead of Hyun-jun Yang and Luis Palma.
Hyun-jun Yang and Luis Palma's performances this year
Yang was selected to start on the left wing against Aberdeen on Saturday and did not make the most of his chance to catch the eye for Celtic.
Football Insider's Sean Fisher handed him a dismal match rating of 2/10 and described the forward as 'invisible', whilst adding that groans could be heard from supporters after several mistakes on the ball from the winger.
The South Korean whiz, 21, has failed to make the most of his opportunities throughout the Premiership season as well, with one goal and three assists in 24 appearances and ten starts.
Palma, on the other hand, has produced one goal and two assists in his last 12 outings for the club in all competitions, and that one goal came against lower league outfit Buckie Thistle in the SFA Cup.
He has zero goals and one assist in his last nine Premiership games for the Scottish giants, after a fantastic return of six goals and eight assists in his first 15 league matches of the campaign – taking him to an overall tally of six goals and nine assists in 24 outings.
These statistics, however, show that both Yang and Palma have struggled at the top end of the pitch in 2024 as neither of them have provided consistent quality as a scorer or a creator.
This suggests that there is not an obvious contender to replace Maeda as the nailed on starter on the left, which is why Forrest could now emerge as a surprise option to start during the run-in.
Why James Forrest could be Daizen Maeda's replacement
At the age of 32, the Scottish whiz is the most experienced option in that area of the pitch for Rodgers, but also the most unlikely candidate due to his lack of minutes so far this season.
The £19k-per-week star has only started two league games for the Hoops and made just 18 appearances in the division so far, whilst Palma (17) and Yang (ten) have both hit double figures for league starts.
Despite his limited action on the pitch, Forrest has made an impact in the final third for Celtic with a return of four goals and one assist in 529 minutes across all competitions, which is one goal contribution every 106 minutes on average.
Appearances
16
Starts
5
Goals
4
Big chances missed
1
Assists
2
Key passes
14
As you can see in the table above, the experienced ace also caught the eye with six goal contributions in just six league starts under Ange Postecoglou last term.
These statistics show that the veteran forward still has the ability to make a difference at the top end of the pitch in the big moments when called upon, which was evident in his performance off the bench against Aberdeen at Hampden.
Forrest was brought on for Yang, ahead of Palma, in the second half and made an almost-instant impact with a terrific strike from the edge of the box, having cut inside onto his favoured right-foot, to find the far bottom corner.
After the game, Rodgers hailed his impact as "brilliant" and described the Hoops star as a "big-game player", which is why he could be the surprise replacement for Maeda on the left flank.
Forrest has the quality and the mentality to be exactly what Celtic need on the wing over the last few matches in the race for the title and the SFA Cup trophy, particularly with Yang and Palma struggling to find their best form.