Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has endured mixed fortunes since arriving at Parkhead for a second time last summer.
With nine Scottish Premiership matches left to play this season, the Bhoys are firmly in a title race that could go down the wire against Rangers.
This weekend, Celtic can overtake their rivals for a day, at least, if they defeat St Johnstone at home on Saturday; however, several injuries have disrupted the momentum in Rodgers’ squad.
Club captain Callum McGregor has unfortunately had to bow out of the Bhoys’ last couple of matches due to a calf/Achilles problem and will miss our clash against Craig Levein’s outfit.
Despite this, Scotland manager Steve Clarke has delivered a positive update on a conversation he had with the 30-year-old amid the news he is set to miss the Tartan Army’s upcoming double-header against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.
Clarke said: “I had a brief chat with Callum this week because I knew he was going to be missing this camp, but no big issues moving forward, I don’t think.”
In other news, Luis Palma is deemed as a doubt to play on Saturday after picking up a training ground injury; meanwhile, Hyunjun Yang is suspended in the wake of his controversial red card at Tynecastle.
On the flanks, Daizen Maeda is almost certain to keep his place, though there is room for one of Nicolas Kuhn, James Forrest or Rocco Vata to stake a claim on the other side.
Brendan Rodgers speaks about his main frustration at Celtic
On the face of it, Rodgers hasn’t had it all his own way at Celtic, and his side have dropped points on eight separate occasions this season amid some inconsistent performances.
Now, the 51-year-old has revealed his ‘biggest frustration’ since returning to Parkhead, citing the injury struggles he has had to navigate involving his key players as a mitigating factor.
Rodgers stated [Celtic TV]: “It has surprised me, maybe because what I felt the first time when I was here. I think the feeling has felt a little different. The biggest frustration has just been the inability to put out the strongest team.
“It’s just felt, from the very beginning, you want to have your best players available, put them on the pitch, in order to showcase the best possible football you can play because you play for the supporters, and that’s who we want to entertain.
“That’s been the biggest frustration, that constant inability to be able to do that.”
Celtic have been hampered by injury struggles this season
Injuries aren’t an excuse for dropping results at the rate Celtic have; nevertheless, they don’t exactly help Rodgers in his quest to secure a domestic double.
Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers have missed pivotal moments this campaign, disrupting the squad’s rhythm. We never quite know who will be available when matches roll around.
Looking forward, let’s hope the Bhoys can have as close to a clean bill of health as possible amid our quest to ensure silverware makes its way to Parkhead.
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