Ange Postecoglou isn’t ruling his trio of prominent injured stars in or out of the upcoming Celtic derby against Rangers at Hampden, telling reporters they’re “close” to returning to contention.
Jota missed last week’s fixture away to Kilmarnock while Reo Hatate and Liel Abada have been out for a number of weeks with different muscle injuries.
Celtic notably needed a bit of their attacking creativity in today’s 1-1 draw with Motherwell and supporters are keeping everything they can crossed that we get good news on potential inclusion in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Celtic wait on Jota, Hatate and Abada fitness ahead of Rangers
Asked about Jota and Hatate, Postecoglou told BBC Radio Scotland post-match [17:19]: “We’ll see, we’ll see. We’ve got a full week so they’ll have to train all week. It’s fair to say they’re close, Liel Abada is close is as well.
“So we’ll see how they go, but irrespective of whether they are available or not we just have to prepare ourselves and get ready for a big game.”
Despite a difficult afternoon against Motherwell today, there’s plenty to look forward to in the closing burst of matches this season with the Scottish Premiership title still to clinch and that prospect of a treble tantalising for everyone involved with Celtic.
Rangers will provide stern opposition to our ambitions, knowing that next week’s match is their last chance of silverware of their own this term.
The Bhoys will have to be far better at the national stadium than they were on Saturday, that’s for sure, but they’ve earned the trust of fans that they can perform when it’s needed most. Buckle your seatbelts!
In other news, Ange Postecoglou reacts to rare dropped points at Celtic Park.
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