Anthony Ralston may be in line for a surprise start for Celtic against Motherwell after a recent injury to Hatem Abd Elhamed.
The Israel international is a doubt for the game in Lanarkshire after going off late in the draw in Romania in midweek. Neil Lennon confirmed the news at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
It will now be interesting to see what happens if Elhamed is not passed fit. The full-back is unlikely to be risked if not 100% with the return leg against Cluj on Tuesday night – despite Lennon thinking it was Wednesday.
Will Lennon trust Ralston against Motherwell?
The Northern Irishman could hand Ralston a reprieve in his favoured right-back position. Or he could decide to play Kristoffer Ajer at right-back and change his options in the centre.
Celtic are still without the suspended Jozo Simunovic for the match at Fir Park, but Christopher Jullien is back after sitting out the win over St. Johnstone last week.
Lennon clearly isn’t a big fan of Ralston after snubbing the 20-year-old for some recent Champions League qualifiers. The youngster was quite literally Celtic’s only right-back option for both ties against Sarajevo and Nomme Kalju but Lennon still chose to have him sit on the bench.
Whether he feels Ralston can be trusted against Motherwell is a different matter.
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