Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer and Mohamed Elyounoussi have been hit with a further blow after their match against Romania was forfeited.
The Norwegian camp had to split up during the current international break due to a positive test in their ranks, with Elyounoussi and Ajer returning to Glasgow without having played a game for their country in recent days.
Their friendly clash against Israel had to be cancelled along with a Nations League trip to Romania. Their final Nations League match in Austria, taking place tonight, has seen an alternative pool of Norwegian players take their place in a clear blow to their chances of success.
However, the Norwegians have been struck with a killer blow in their bid to win their Nations League group. Ajer and Moi’s side have been hit with a 3-0 loss for failing to take part in the game ahead of the game in Austria this evening.
That leaves Norway second in Group B1, three points behind the Austrian side they face this evening. Only a victory there by two goals will be enough to win their Nations League group. Had they beaten Romania, any win would’ve done tonight.
Should Romania beat Northern Ireland this evening and Norway’s reserves lose in Austria, the Norwegians will slump down to third place. Ajer and Moi’s nation cannot be relegated this evening.
Frustration for Elyounoussi and Ajer, but internationals must now be forgotten
This will seriously frustrate the Celtic pair. The fact they’re helpless in trying to win a Nations League group they’ve battled hard over the last few months to get into a good position for – it won’t help their morale.
Unless the Norwegian second-string pull off an absolute miracle this evening, their chance of qualifying for the A section has now been stripped from them. At the time of writing, however, they are indeed holding the Austrians at 0-0.
Of course, from Celtic’s perspective, we must do all we can to get the pair’s mind back in the domestic game. We can’t afford to carry any passengers over the next few days ahead of a crunch clash at Easter Road on Saturday. Dropping any more points, for the time being, is absolutely unthinkable.
Ajer and Elyounoussi are both free to feature against Hibs, and both will likely start the game too. So we need them in as positive a frame of mind as possible, as Hibs have consistently made us pay for sloppy errors at Easter Road over the past three years.
But make no mistake, the Norwegians would’ve fancied themselves over these two games against Romania and Austria. They mauled the former in Oslo last month whilst there was a revenge mission on against the Austrians after defeat in their last encounter.
Hopefully, any frustration felt can be taken out on Jack Ross’ side on Saturday.
In other news, a Celtic-owned loan star has provided a promising update on the injury that set him back last month.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
