Celtic stars Alistair Johnston and Luis Palma won’t be back at club training until Friday, giving them little time to prepare for the visit of Motherwell on Saturday.
Johnston was called up to the Canada squad for their CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Jamaica, while Luis Palma featured for Honduras against Mexico in the same tournament.
Unfortunately for the pair, both their teams have been eliminated after dramatic second-leg encounters in the early hours of Wednesday morning UK time.
The Canadian played 84 minutes at home to the Jamaicans before being substituted while Palma played 90 minutes of a heartbreaking penalties defeat in Mexico City.
Motherwell game could come too soon for Celtic duo
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed their status in a media conference today, saying: “We are still waiting on some to come back. Luis Palma and Alistair Johnston won’t be back until Friday but the other guys have come back well.
“The guys that have played domestically and for Scotland are fine, and the others, yeah fine. So nothing injury-wise at this moment in time to report.”
Asked if Palma and Johnston would be ruled out of the weekend’s encounter, Rodgers said: “We’ll just assess it, just assess and see how they are.”
Alternative squad options, if they don’t make the Scottish Premiership clash, include Anthony Ralston at right back and James Forrest in attack, with Hyunjun Yang likely to take up a wing spot regardless after impressing against Aberdeen last time out.
That would be far from ideal and hopefully both players have looked after themselves in the wake of their international exertions.
Palma has been in exceptional form of late and bagged three assists against the Dons before leaving for Honduras, while Johnston is a clear pick ahead of Ralston in defence. But with Lazio coming shortly after on Tuesday, Rodgers may well want to keep them sharp and rested.
In other news, Celtic Chief Financial Officer provides important new context on the club’s £72m bank balance.
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