Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that James Forrest will return to the Celtic squad for the Champions League showdown against Lazio.
The 32-year-old was absent for Celtic’s goalless draw against Motherwell at the weekend – Hyunjun Yang was criticised for his performance.
Given Celtic’s injury list, the return of James Forrest is a help because that depth in quality is needed, especially if key first-team players just aren’t firing and the new faces are inconsistent.
Brendan Rodgers shared that James Forrest ‘didn’t train much’ during the international break and that’s why he wasn’t risked for the weekend, as he told his press conference.
Ahead of the trip to Italy, the Celtic boss spoke about the team missing that ‘dynamic’ nature and the return of his experienced head out wide.
James Forrest returns for Lazio
“It’s clear we are missing a lot of players who are dynamic for us,” said Rodgers. “That can change how the football game can look for us.
“But it’s also an opportunity for other guys to come in. James (Forrest) will be available for the game.
“He didn’t train so much over the international break, so rather than him sit on the bench at the weekend we wanted him to give him some training days until the game, so he is available, which is good for us.”
Must win at Lazio
Neil Lennon has stuck his chest out and backed the Bhoys to secure a rare win on the road in Europe – nothing else is acceptable here.
Yes, the team isn’t going to progress to the knockout stages, but a Europa League spot is still up for grabs, as well as pride.
Celtic can’t just finish the campaign on one point because it will be a really disappointing campaign, even if the performances have been better than the tally suggests.
That’s why the team need to go all guns blazing at Lazio – who suffered a shock defeat at the weekend.
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