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(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Ryan Christie more than capable of becoming cup final hero again
In last year's Betfred Cup Final, Celtic took on Aberdeen in what was not the best of games. The Hoops were perhaps hampered by Scott Sinclair missing a penalty in the game, but that didn't stop them from winning the match 1-0.
The man who scored the winning goal was a player who is currently in a great run of form – Ryan Christie. At this time last season Christie was just establishing himself in the Celtic first-team.
Arguably the best player in the team
(Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Since then, he has overcome injuries to go from strength to strength. It could be argued that he is currently Celtic's best player. He has scored a remarkable 15 goals from the midfield, and should be looking to add to that tally against Rangers in Sunday's Betfred Cup Final.
Christie had a quiet game by his standards in the 2-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox in September. That was perhaps because Celtic adapted more of a pragmatic approach for that game. However, you would imagine that the Hoops will be more attack-minded in the cup final.
That could play into Christie's hands. He could get forward on a number of occasions, and with his eye for goal you would not be surprised to see him find the back of the net.
Yet to score against rivals for Hoops
Interestingly, Christie has yet to score for Celtic against Rangers. However, he has found the back of the net against Rangers for Aberdeen. He scored in a 2-1 win at Ibrox in 2017. That shows that he knows how to score against Celtic's biggest rivals.
Christie's emergence in the Celtic squad over the past year has been one of the stories of the last 12 months. Scoring the winner in the Betfred Cup Final would be a fitting way to cap off what has been an incredible year for the player. You would not bet against him scoring the goal than clinches Celtic's 10th domestic trophy in a row.
Tags: Betfred Cup final, Celtic, Celtic v Rangers, Ryan Christie
John Reid	Journalist
John Reid is an experienced journalist, specialising in Scottish football for a number of years.
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