Celtic centre-back Nir Bitton is preparing to return against Rangers in next weekend’s Glasgow derby, according to the Scottish Sun.
The Israeli defender hasn’t been seen since the 2-1 home defeat vs St Mirren back in late January. He was forced to come off at half-time in that one after struggling alongside Shane Duffy.
In recent weeks, Celtic have gone with the partnership of Stephen Welsh and Kristoffer Ajer. But with Chris Jullien injured and Duffy unreliable, Bitton’s return will be a welcome boost.
Thankfully, the Scottish Sun is reporting that he’s set to step up his return to training this week. This is with a view to being available for the visit of Rangers next weekend.
Celtic will be hoping to beat their rivals for the first time this season after two previous defeats. Bitton was sent off at Ibrox back in January.
Welsh and Ajer the likely partnership; but Nir Bitton returning finally gives Celtic some depth
Given they’ve played together over the last two months, it’s difficult to see John Kennedy changing the Ajer-Welsh partnership. If one was to be dropped for the Rangers game, it would likely be the latter. Especially given his inexperience in high-profile fixtures.
But chopping and changing the backline has done us no favours all season. It’s led to consistent errors throughout the campaign. So it’s something we could do with out.
Bitton having not played for five weeks should also be a key indicator in any decision Kennedy makes. It’s highly unlikely he’ll be up to speed by the time kick-off comes around.
Having Nir on the bench and ready to play a part if the worst happens is a sound plan. Perhaps even an introduction later on in the contest if it’s going better than we perhaps think it will.
But make no mistake, having the Israeli back is great for our squad options. It may be too little too late given the league championship is over, but Celtic still have some big fixtures to negotiate between now and the end of the season. Celtic are due to travel to venues such as Ibrox, Pittodrie, and Easter Road before the campaign comes to an end. Not to mention the Scottish Cup fixtures.
In that regard, it’s great to finally have a solid option at the back to put on the bench.
In other news, Chris Sutton has slammed the idea of John Kennedy bagging the Celtic job.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
