Giovanni van Bronckhorst is missing 6 first-team players for Celtic clash

By John McGinley

April 30, 2022

If you’re reading this article you’re probably a Celtic fan. As a result, you might not be up to date on the goings-on within the Rangers squad heading into tomorrow’s crucial derby.

Before we start, it has to be acknowledged that the Ibrox side will be stern opposition on Sunday regardless of their personnel problems.

They ran a quality side like RB Leipzig close on Thursday before eventually being defeated, so can certainly prove difficult to beat tomorrow.

Let’s not forget they also bested us in the recent Scottish Cup semi-final. Nothing can be taken for granted.

Nonetheless, they do have significant injury and suspension issues that will limit the kind of team that can be fielded against the Bhoys.

First of all, there are three long-term absences in Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander and Ianis Hagi that Giovanni van Bronckhorst has had to deal with for a while now.

Morelos is a particularly influential force for them but has already been ruled out for the rest of the season.

In addition to that, Aaron Ramsey and Kemar Roofe were both ruled out of tomorrow’s fixture by the Rangers boss last week.

Finally, Leon Balogun misses tomorrow’s match after receiving a straight red card in a victory over Motherwell last weekend. This wasn’t appealed by the Ibrox club, so immediately kicks in.

Celtic, in contrast, have a very healthy squad right now. Only Josip Juranovic will miss the match tomorrow, with Ange Postecoglou confirming yesterday that everyone else was fit, including a returning Nir Bitton.

We should have absolutely no fear facing them tomorrow and hopefully, the Bhoys can be far more assertive in the match early on tomorrow compared to the semi-final.

In other news, “He works harder than everyone else”; Micah Richards lauds “brilliant” Celtic hero.