Celtic pair book place in quarter-final of the AFC Asian Cup, worrying injury update emerges

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Celtic have a five-man contingent of players who are currently battling it out to try and bring home silverware at the AFC Asian Cup.

Marco Tilio is the sole Hoops representative playing for Australia and his side managed to secure a comfortable passage into the last eight following a 4-0 victory over Indonesia in the round of 16 last Sunday.

Intriguingly, the Socceroos will meet South Korea in the quarter-final, providing a compelling match-up between two of the tournament favourites.

Furthermore, the clash will also afford the opportunity for Tilio to meet club teammates Hyeongyu Oh and Yang Hyun-jun on Friday following the Taeguek Warriors’ penalty victory over Saudi Arabia

Australia and South Korea will face off on Friday at Al Janoub Stadium in a 3.30 pm kick-off, meaning that at least one Celtic player will be heading back to Scotland afterwards, which will give Brendan Rodgers’ squad a boost heading into a congested run of fixtures.

Of course, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda were also in action for Japan today in their knockout tie against Bahrain. 67 Hail Hail takes a look at how they both got on.

Japan advance as Celtic dealt worrying Reo Hatate injury blow

Japan are safely through to the quarter-final of the Asian Cup after defeating Bahrain 3-1 earlier today courtesy of goals from Ritsu Doan, Takefusa Kubo and Ayase Ueda, setting up a tie in the next round against either Iran or Syria [Evening Standard].

Nevertheless, Celtic have been dealt a potentially serious blow due to the fact that Reo Hatate limped off with a calf injury after just 36 minutes, being replaced by Hidemasa Morita [Scottish Sun].

The 26-year-old started against Bahrain and initially gave a good account of himself, completing 15 out of his 20 attempted passes alongside carrying out one successful dribble and ground duel apiece [Sofascore].

Despite this, Hatate then made his way to the dugout once he received treatment. At present, the severity of his problem is still yet to be determined.

His teammate Maeda was an unused substitute during proceedings as Hajime Moriyasu opted not to bring him off the bench.

Tournament hopefuls Japan may be on their way to the next round; however, Celtic fans will desperately hope Hatate’s match fitness hasn’t been compromised as a result.