Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Celtic duo David Turnbull and Jota will again not be involved in tomorrow’s match against Hearts but is buoyant about the strength of his available squad regardless.
Both Jota and Turnbull have been missing for a number of matches despite consistently hopeful updates about imminent returns.
But Postecoglou is relaxed about the situation, insisting there is no reason to rush them back. Despite Jota not yet participating in team training, the winger still has a shot of making the match squad against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.
Speaking to Sky Sports today, the Bhoys boss said of tomorrow’s squad strength: “Pretty much the same as it has been the last two or three games. The guys closest are Jota and Turnbull coming back, but with the team travelling well and being able to rotate, there is no point rushing them back.
“We’ve got some important games coming up, so they should be available next week at some point. The rest of the squad came through Wednesday (at Motherwell) well, so we’ll have quite a strong line-up tomorrow.
“Jota has a chance (against Shakhtar), but again we don’t want to rush him back. We’ll gauge how he is going. He is training, he’s away from the main group. We’ll integrate him into team training at some point next week.”
The Portuguese’s absence hasn’t been ideal, but it hasn’t impacted Celtic’s form in the last two matches, so there is trust that the team Postecoglou fields tomorrow can get the job done.
Jota’s return will give the Bhoys a new threat. His dribbling and creative spark can bring other players in our attack alive. He’s also capable of a bit of goal magic himself.
The sooner, the better. But it’s certainly no excuse tomorrow with a big performance to see off a readied and rested Hearts.
In other news, Hearts comments suggest Celtic will be kicked all over the pitch tomorrow; could backfire again.
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