There was yet more positive injury news for Celtic today as Neil Lennon confirmed that Hatem Abd Elhamed’s return from injury would be tomorrow night.
Celtic face a do-or-die second-leg with CFR Cluj at Parkhead in just over 24 hours’ time. A 0-0 draw or any narrow victory would be enough to see Celtic progress. A defeat on the night, however, and the Champions League is all over for another season. The margin for error can hardly be seen it’s that thin. Neil Lennon, therefore, will want to have all of his big players available.
And it certainly looks like that’s the case with Elhamed officially returning from injury. He missed the trip to Fir Park on Saturday after picking up a slight knock in Romania last week.
However, speaking at his press conference this afternoon, Lennon stated via Celtic’s official media channels that Elhamed is back along with all of his top choices.
Hatem Abd Elhamed’s return leaves us without a notable weakness
No, we’re not perfect. Far from it. But Elhamed’s return most certainly leaves us without a notable weak point for tomorrow night, which is bad news for Cluj.
Sure, the Romanians will try to find an area they can exploit tomorrow night. But with Elhamed coming back into the mix along with Mikey Johnston, there’s not a single player in the team that will overly concern you ahead of Cluj’s visit.
Yes, perhaps you could look to Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo if we’re being pessimistic. But the Belgian got much better against Motherwell in the second half. There’s certainly something there in the full-back, and he can take heart from his second-half showing at Fir Park where he bagged an assist.
Elhamed coming back into right-back allows Kirstoffer Ajer to slot back into the centre alongside Jozo Simunovic. Had Nir Bitton started, perhaps some of his loose passes from the back could’ve concerned some. But that doesn’t look like something we’ll have to worry about either.
Celtic are in a terrific position ahead of tomorrow night. 1-1, in control, and without one key player still sidelined. A few months ago, you would say that Tom Rogic being out was a big worry. But Ryan Christie is the main man in that number 10 spot now, so Rogic’s absence isn’t as harshly felt as it has been in the past.
Cluj will likely come to Parkhead and try to hit us on the counter. But we now have pace at the back, and you have to fancy Celtic to show that they don’t have many weaknesses either. At Celtic Park in front of their own supporters, it’s lining up to be a special night at Paradise.
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