Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has remained coy on the availability of Jota ahead of tomorrow evening’s match against RB Leipzig.
The 23-year-old winger missed out on the final training session at Lennoxtown this afternoon as the rest of his teammates prepare to face the German side.
Postecoglou has already suffered significant injury blows recently, with the likes of Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt remaining out for the coming weeks.
Jota started in Saturday’s victory over St Johnstone before being replaced at the break by Daizen Maeda. In the aftermath of the match, the Celtic boss confirmed the reason behind his change was fatigue.
However, the former Benfica man also appears to have come away sore from the weekend’s dramatic victory in Perth and is now a doubt for tomorrow night.
Despite being a doubt at this moment in time, the 57-year-old hasn’t yet ruled out the possibility of Jota featuring for Celtic against Leipzig, hinting that a decision will come closer to kick-off.
He said [Sky Sports News]: “It comes down to whether we think he can play or not. With all the players, they are all important in different ways.
“With the short turnaround, it’s not unusual for someone not to be right the day before a game when we’ve got such a quick turnaround.
“It’s just about whether he’s right or not. If he’s right, we’ll play him – if not, he’ll miss out.”
Ange Postecoglou should look to other options if there is any doubt surrounding Jota.
During the opening stages of the 2022/23 campaign, Jota has been a crucial member of the Celtic squad, contributing to some huge goals.
Although the winger would be a huge miss to the side tomorrow night, if there are any huge doubts surrounding his fitness, he should be left out, in my opinion.
Whilst tomorrow evening is a massive occasion and arguably a must-win game for the Hoops Champions League hopes, we cannot risk Jota picking up a further injury.
Postecoglou has the options to turn to, with the likes of Sead Haksabanovic vying for his place in the side and looking to take the opportunity.
We have a number of crucial games on the horizon within a short space of time, and it is crucial that we have players such as Jota fit rather than potentially seeing him suffer further injury woes tomorrow night.
Celtic supporters are already eagerly awaiting the announcement of the starting line-up that will face RB Leipzig on Tuesday to see whether Jota has won the race to be available for selection.
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