Malky Mackay can’t wait to get to the Scottish Premiership break after this weekend’s Celtic Park test, lamenting the state of his squad after injuries.
Connor Randall, Ben Purrington, Ross Callachan, Ben Paton and Jack Baldwin will all be missing for the trip to Glasgow.
It’s led to a situation where Mackay is struggling to get numbers onto the bench.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s match against Celtic, he told The Press & Journal: “We have three or four injuries that, by the end of the St Johnstone week (17th December), we will be hoping to have most of them back.
“That will be really good for us, because over the last couple of weeks we are starting to become really threadbare. In the last couple of weeks I have had two goalkeepers on the bench, and a 16-year-old. There was one game where we didn’t fill the bench.
“It’s where we are at the moment, but there are plenty clubs in the same boat. Like anyone, I’m sure Ange is looking forward to getting to Sunday morning with as many fit and able bodies as possible.
“He will have the World Cup to deal with as well, but I think everyone is looking forward to that break. We will all take stock of where we are with injuries, and try to get everybody fit again for five weeks later.”
Celtic, in contrast, are doing well on the injury and fitness front at the moment. Callum McGregor and James McCarthy remain the only absentees after Ange Postecoglou gave the all-clear to his squad in today’s press conference.
None of this guarantees victory against Ross County. Even in recent weeks, we’ve seen that teams in the Premiership can make it tight against the Bhoys.
Nonetheless, it is heartening that Celtic seem in better shape than every other team in the division. Postecoglou’s squad rotation policy has kept the league-leaders away from the kind of injury crisis that is engulfing others, including the team across the city.
In other news, Celtic fully vindicated on Scottish FA complaint.
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