As Celtic prepare to face Bayer Leverkusen next Thursday, the Germans are currently suffering from a lengthy injury list ahead of the return of club football.
Indeed, Kicker report that as many as 8 first-team players are still crocked. It comes after a recent decline in results that have seen Leverkusen win only 1 of their last 7 games in all competitions.
The rut has seen Bayer drop down to 6th in the Bundesliga and just 3 points clear of the bottom half.
And it’s no surprise to see them struggling given their growing injury list. Kicker reports they’re missing a host of key players including Florian Wirtz, Patrick Schick, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Mitchel Bakker, Charles Aranguiz, Julian Baumgartlinger, Karim Bellarabi, and Lucas Alario respectively.
Leverkusen managing director Kevin Voller is hoping to see Wirts, Bellarabi, and Alario make comeback appearances against VFL Bochum next Saturday [Kicker]. However, there are major concerns over the rest, and even then those that do return next weekend are unlikely to be 100% fit for the Celtic clash.
It remains to be seen if Bayer boss Gerardo Seoane even throws any of them into the Celtic clash given the risks that may be involved.
Bayer Leverkusen could have a lengthy injury list when Celtic visit
When Leverkusen came to Celtic Park back in September, they were in red-hot form. They had all of their top stars fit and available, and it’s fair to say it showed in a resounding 4-0 success. Even then, Celtic still managed to create opportunities of course.
There are so many concerns surrounding the Bayer front-line at the moment, and that could come as a relief to Celtic. Wirtz may be back in time, but having Schick out could be a major boost for the Hoops. The experienced Czech Republic international was a menace in the Celtic Park clash.
Bellarami may make a return against Bochum, but he’s been out with a hamstring tear in recent weeks. He’s a player that Seoane will again want to be careful with.
It may be early doors, but it’s clear they have problems in terms of their squad selection heading into the Celtic game. It’s no surprise to see their form has dripped so dramatically given the list of players currently struggling either.
That could also work against Celtic of course. Leverkusen have impressed in the Europa League this season. Therefore, it stands to reason that they could use the competition as a springboard to lift their morale and take some pressure off of the team heading into a crucial winter period.
That will all be down to the manager of course. It’s he who has to ensure his squad is in the best shape to tackle its challenges over the next couple of months. But make no mistake, Bayer have real problems heading into next week. Celtic need to take advantage of them.
In other news, Watch: Steve Clarke asked whether Celtic’s Anthony Ralston will start for Scotland tomorrow
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