Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes Sunday’s trip to Rugby Park is among the last few times his team have to play on artificial pitches in the cinch Premiership.
Kilmarnock aim to install a grass pitch in their stadium once their new training ground is up and running, although that is still at the planning application stage.
Reports claim that discussions will be held in the new year over potential rule changes to ban artificial pitches in the top flight.
Livingston manager David Martindale this week claimed that moving from plastic to grass could cost them £2.5million but other teams in the top division would likely welcome a rule change.
Rodgers said: “It’s a constant conversation. It’s clear that every coach would want to play, I’m pretty sure, on a grass pitch.
“The sooner that is the possibility up here then the better it would be for everyone.
“I understand the economics of it all and what it would mean for some clubs, but there should be a certain level or a certain standard of which every team, if you are playing in the top flight, should have a grass pitch.”
Celtic suffered a 1-0 Viaplay Cup defeat on Kilmarnock’s pitch in August, but Rodgers believes his side are better equipped for Sunday’s trip to Ayrshire.
“Certainly where the team is at now is a far different place to back then,” Rodgers said.
“It was probably a good time to play us with players coming in and the challenges we had. It’s a different team – the structure and attitude is different.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy game. Derek (McInnes) has really put his team in a good place in the top six and they are hard to beat.”
Oh Hyeon-gyu affirmed his hopes of playing in the Asian Cup in January after netting two goals in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Hibernian in only his second start under Rodgers.
With Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda also in the running for the Japan squad, Rodgers is poised to go into the transfer market for a striker and his club were this week linked with a move for Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski.
“It will depend,” he said, when asked about his plans for a new striker in January. “Clearly we are trying to anticipate over the last few months the guys that will go away to the Asian Cup.
“Clearly if Daizen is away, Kyogo is away and Oh is away, we would have to do something in the market.”
Mikey Johnston was also given a rare start against Hibs but Rodgers told the winger in a post-match media interview that he had to “do more”.
When asked about how to get the best out of players, Rodgers said: “That’s always the challenge of a coach. You are having to find many different ways to do it but, of course, you are always best being honest.
“Mikey knows that. The reason Mikey is still here, from the summer, is because I rate him as a player. I could easily have put him out on loan but I know his talent and I want to do everything I possibly can to allow him to maximise that talent.
“He has made great strides in his training performance just in terms of his consistency, and made an impact coming off the bench, but I know how much he wants to play for Celtic and start for Celtic.
“I know he was disappointed himself the other night. But without forcing it you hope you can see his qualities on a regular basis.
“He is a very, very talented player, one of the very best to come out of the academy here in terms of talent, individual quality, one v one, speed, he’s got stronger as well.
“But he’s not a baby anymore. He is 24 and if you want to start regularly for Celtic you have to have a robustness, you have to be mentally strong, you have to be competitive and physically brave.”
'Super simple' – Lille president rules out January exit for Jonathan David
Lille president Olivier Letang has categorically ruled out a January exit for forward Jonathan David amid links with a number of European clubs.
David is out of contract at the end of the season and has been touted as a target for the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona.
Speaking this week, the Canada international named Barcelona as his "dream" club but suggested he would prefer not to leave Lille mid-season.
And in an interview with After Foot RMC, Letang confirmed no bids have yet been tabled ahead of the January window.
"We are not going to sell him in January, and we have not received any offer for him," he said.
"Jonathan's situation is super simple. We are very happy to have him with us.
"Last season he had one more year left on his contract. We were trying to qualify for the Champions League.
"You have a guy who scores 20 to 25 goals a season. We had no obligation to sell him."
David is into his fifth season with Lille and has scored 97 goals in 202 games for the Ligue 1 side in all competitions while assisting a further 18.
Seven of those goals have arrived in 11 appearances this term, including in Champions League games against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
The 24-year-old's best league season with Lille saw him score 24 goals in 2022-23, while he has netted 19, 15 and 13 in the other full campaigns.
Lille chief Letang reiterated that David has been offered a new deal to stay on at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but selling him has never been an option.
"He is a player who scores between 20 and 25 goals and helps us qualify for the Champions League," he said.
"Plus, Jonathan loves Lille, which is his club. Our position was very clear from the beginning – we think of the athlete.
"Obviously, he already has an offer that is in his hands, the ball is in his court."
Guardiola suggests Man City's recent form played part in signing new contract
Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City's run of four successive defeats was part of the reason for his contract extension.
The 53-year-old recently signed a two-year deal, which will run out in 2027, ending months of speculation about his future after his contract had been due to run out at the end of the campaign.
Following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton before the international break, Guardiola's side have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.
"I felt I could not leave now. Maybe the four defeats was why," he told the club's website.
"I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it's the truth."
Guardiola has led Manchester City to 18 major trophies during his nine-year stint at the club and posted a 72% win ratio.
He added that he was determined to help the club get back to a state where they are "more stable and more consistent".
"We have to recover that because right now we don't have it and that's the target we have to do," he said.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: "Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep's journey with Manchester City will continue, allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.
"His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large."
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
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