Celtic team news ahead of Livingston as Postecoglou provides update on absent duo

By John McGinley

January 31, 2023

Celtic defender Anthony Ralston has returned to group training at Lennoxtown after injury but won’t be available for tomorrow night’s match at home to Livingston.

Last week, Ange Postecoglou shared that Ralston was undergoing individual rehab on the training pitches away from the squad, but he has now rejoined full sessions. He hasn’t made an appearance since the 2-1 win over David Martindale’s side in December.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist has suffered a setback in his return from a calf injury that has kept him out of match squads over the last weeks.

Speaking in media conference today, Postecoglou said [Celtic YouTube]: “Tony Ralston is still out but back with the group, which is good. He’s been out for a little while so we’ll probably give him an extra week this week to get right.

“Benji Siegrist had a little bit of a setback with a calf complaint. He won’t be available again tomorrow but it’s only short-term. Everyone else got through the game against Dundee United all well.”

Ralston is very popular with Celtic supporters for his no-nonsense style and his consistency in performance under Postecoglou, so the sooner he is back the better.

Alistair Johnston is a fine option at the moment but with a busy schedule ahead it’d be great to have Ralston available to the manager for rotation.

Postecoglou recently challenged both players to fill the gap left by Josip Juranovic’s move to Union Berlin.

Siegrist has regularly been Joe Hart’s deputy on the bench this season but Scott Bain is currently providing that backup in his absence.

The Celtic starting eleven and bench were incredibly strong for the trip to Dundee United and with no fresh injuries to report, it will be again tomorrow night.

Hyeongyu Oh is set to get more minutes in a Celtic shirt, even if only off the bench, with the possibility of midweek changes to freshen up the team ahead of Sunday’s trip to St Johnstone.

In other news, Confirmed: Midfielder Oliver Abildgaard on his way to Serie A.