Celtic enter the international break on a rather sour note.
Fans are furious with the club’s board after a shocking transfer window, and hundreds of supporter groups and organisations sent a joint open letter to the Celtic hierarchy.
Meanwhile, as far as the squad is concerned, Celtic have picked up two injuries. Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston had to withdraw from the Scotland squad as a result.
It is unclear exactly what the issues are, but they won’t be available to play against either Denmark on Friday or Belarus next week.
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Clarke on Tierney and Ralston’s Scotland absences
Scotland manager Steve Clarke held his press conference in Denmark before tonight’s 2026 World Cup qualifying opener.
And he was quizzed on how big a blow Tierney and Ralston’s withdrawals are ahead of Scotland’s two big games.
Clarke replied: “Yeah, disappointing. Always disappointing. Listen, you pick your squad… I think I’ve learned over the last six and a bit years that you’re always going to lose one or two.
“So to lose two fullbacks was disappointing, but we have enough cover in the squad.”
Asked if Tierney and Ralston’s absences will change how he sets up defensively against Denmark or Belarus, Clarke responded: “No it doesn’t, because if you look at the squad that I picked, there’s plenty of defensive cover there.”
Who do Celtic play next after international break?
With Tierney and Ralston seemingly injured, it is a cause for concern for Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
Or is it actually a blessing in disguise? Tierney and Ralston are vital to the Hoops at the moment, so perhaps they have been instructed by Celtic to avoid representing Scotland this week.
Celtic next play Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on September 14, and it remains to be seen if Tierney and Ralston will be fit for that game.
Kelechi Iheanacho is another who will need to prove his fitness for the Killie clash if he has ambitions of making his Celtic debut.
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