Celtic are in action in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon as they travel away from Glasgow to the capital to take on Hearts at Tynecastle.
Their hosts are fresh off the back of a 1-1 draw with rivals Hibernian and a 5-0 loss to Rangers in their last two matches, but they do have the dangerous Lawrence Shankland – who has 19 league goals so far – to potentially cause problems for the Hoops.
Brendan Rodgers' side, on the other hand, should be full of confidence ahead of this clash after they thumped Dundee 7-1 at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
There were seven different scorers for Celtic, who were 5-0 up before the 40th minute, in the match, as they recorded their second win in succession.
With games coming thick and fast and an international break for some of the squad to contend with later this month, Rodgers could look to make changes to keep the team fresh.
One alteration to the starting XI from the 7-1 win over Dundee that the Northern Irish tactician should make is to bring Luis Palma in for Daizen Maeda, who could be brutally ditched from the line-up.
Daizen Maeda's stats against Dundee
The Japan international, who can play on either flank or through the middle, was selected to play on the left wing as part of a front three alongside Adam Idah and Hyun-jun Yang.
He did, to his credit, get on the scoresheet with a well-taken goal in the 30th minute to make it 4-0 to Celtic, with an assist from Matt O'Riley. The winger collected the Danish wizard's pass in the box and brilliantly spun and finished into the far corner with his left foot.
However, the rest of his performance left a bit to be desired as he struggled with the physicality of the game and failed to provide creativity for his teammates.
Minutes played
90
Key passes
Zero
Big chances created
Zero
Pass accuracy
79%
Duels contested
13
Duels won
Five
As you can see in the table above, Maeda was dominated by the Dundee players in physical battles as he lost eight of his 13 duels throughout the match.
The 26-year-old forward also lost possession 12 times from 39 touches. This suggests that the winger was sloppy on the ball, particularly when you consider that he did not create a single chance for his teammates, as he lost it every 3.25 touches on average despite having little impact on the game outside of his goal.
A lack of quality in the final third has been an issue for the Japanese wide man throughout the 2023/24 Premiership season, as he has struggled to consistently deliver goals and assists.
Daizen Maeda's Premiership stats this season
The right-footed whiz produced eight goals and five assists in 25 league starts under Ange Postecoglou last term, which was a return of one goal or assist every 1.92 starts on average.
He has not been successful in replicating that form for Rodgers since the ex-Leicester City boss replaced the Australian tactician last summer.
Maeda has started 19 matches, and made two appearances off the bench, in the Premiership so far this season, and contributed with four goals and two assists.
This means that his average starts per goal contribution has fallen to every 3.17 starts, with six in 19 starts for the Scottish giants in the top-flight.
He has registered four goals in 19 starts but could have had more had it not been for wasteful finishing. No player in the Celtic squad has underperformed their Expected Goals by more than Maeda (minus 2.74).
His teammates have provided him with 6.74 xG worth of chances in the final third but he has only scored four, which shows how poor his finishing has been this term.
The Japan international has also struggled to create for his fellow attackers. He currently ranks 22nd in the squad for key passes per game (0.5), and is below the likes of Liam Scales and Tomoki Iwata, who play in defensive positions.
These statistics illustrate Maeda's struggles at the top end of the pitch as he has been inconsistent as a finisher and rarely provided his teammates with quality as a creator.
The stats that show why Luis Palma should replace Maeda
The Japanese winger must now be brutally ditched from the starting XI on the left flank as Luis Palma has the ability to offer more in attack for the Hoops.
Signed from Greek side Aris on a permanent deal ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, the Honduras international has provided a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals throughout the Premiership season.
The 5 foot 10 whiz, who was hailed as "tremendous" by Chris Sutton earlier this term, has been more consistent in front of goal than Maeda, with a slight underperformance of six goals from 6.9 xG.
This suggests that Palma is more likely to tuck away a chance than the former Yokohoma F. Marinos star, given that the Japan international has two fewer goals from 0.16 less xG.
The 24-year-old magician also has far more quality when it comes to creating chances in the final third for his teammates, based on their respective statistics in the Premiership this season.
Starts
19
17
Key passes per game
0.5
2.7
Big chances created
Four
12
Assists
Two
Nine
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the ex-Aris dynamo has provided far more chances, and more high-quality chances, for his fellow attackers than Maeda.
In fact, no player in the Premiership has registered more assists, and only two players – Danny Armstrong and James Tavernier – have created more big chances than Palma this season.
This shows that the Celtic maestro has been one of the outstanding creative talents in the top-flight since his move to the club last summer.
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Therefore, Rodgers should replace Maeda with Palma this afternoon at Tynecastle due to the superior quality he has in the final third, both as a finisher and a creator, which could be needed given that Hearts have the third-best defensive record in the division.