Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss the Bhoys’ visit to the Bernabeu this evening after remaining in Glasgow.
However, the central defender’s absence looks to have opened up the opportunity for another Celtic star to make his long-awaited return from injury.
The 57-year-old has been updating the media on the current status of his squad going into tonight’s match against current European champions Real Madrid.
Although Postecoglou has the majority of his squad available, Carter-Vickers has missed the trip to the Spanish capital after remaining at home in Glasgow.
The former Socceroos boss confirmed this was due to an injury he sustained away to Livingston, with the Hoops stand-in captain coming away sore, and Postecoglou believes the artificial surface might have had something to do with it.
However, thankfully, the American international isn’t expected to be out for long, with the Celtic manager confirming he expects him to be back for the weekend.
He said [Glasgow Evening Times]: “He (Carter-Vickers) should be right for the weekend. He’s just come back from a knee injury, and he’s just got a bit of soreness. He’s one of the few who has played every game, so we’ve got to be conscious of that, and with the short turnaround, we felt it was best we left him at home for this one.”
“It (the artificial surface) didn’t help. I mean, a few of the boys, to be fair, were pretty sore afterwards. It’s just not a great pitch for that. But the others have rebounded well.
“Look at a stretch I could have played Cameron in this game. But I just think, with three important games next week, we should leave him at home.”
Carter-Vickers’ absence opens up opportunity for Carl Starfelt to mark his return.
Losing Carter-Vickers for tonight’s game is a blow. But it could also be a sensible approach from Postecoglou, who doesn’t feel the defender is needed for the dead-rubber match-up, and he will be more important in the other three remaining games before the World Cup.
His absence could have also opened up the opportunity for a long-awaited return, as the Celtic manager confirmed that Swedish international Carl Starfelt is now in contention for selection.
In response to Starfelt’s availability, Ange said: “Yeah, absolutely. He’s trained fully and is ready to go. So he’s got an opportunity.”
Whilst tonight’s game is likely to be an extremely tough test for the Hoops, Postecoglou might see it as a good chance to bring defender back into competitive action after being out since early September with injury.
The 27-year-old has been a key part of the Celtic backline since Postecoglou’s arrival, and his absence during large spells this season will have come as a huge frustration.
However, the defender now looks all set for his return to the Celtic squad within the next few weeks, and tonight could be the night he is back in competitive action.
It would certainly be a welcomed return, and although there won’t be many tougher tests than against Real Madrid, we could at least get a glimpse at Starfelt in the Champions League after he missed the Hoops’ other five group-stage outings.
Thankfully, it seems despite their injuries, both Starfelt and Carter-Vickers should be fit and available for the Celtic squad on Saturday, and there may even be a chance for the former Rubin Kazan man to pick up his first minutes since the 4-0 Glasgow Derby win in September.
In other news, Celtic boss reacts to World Cup disappointment for Hoops duo.
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