Celtic’s Big Strong Man, Cameron Carter-Vickers will sit out the trip to Perth on Saturday evening for the Scottish Premiership match against manageress St Johnstone, who are looking at Scott Brown as a candidate to replace the recently sacked Craig Levein…
The Celtic defender is touch and go for the Champions League match on Tuesday evening away to Dortmund with Brendan Rodgers explaining the injury concern after Sunday’s entertaining Premier Sports cup quarter final win over Falkirk.
“Cam has been suffering a wee bit with his metatarsal, below his big toe,” the Celtic manager told Premier Sports. “We gave it a little bit of a period earlier on, a few weeks back, and he was okay.
“He’s got a little bit sore, obviously playing back-to-back games, which is why we’ve given him today free. So, we’ll just assess that and see how that is later in the week.”
Alistair Johnston also sat out the 5-2 win over the high-flying Championship side with the Canadian international right back receiving an injection in his back at the end of last week. Like CCV he’s unlikely to start at McDiarmid Park with a view to being in the starting XI at the Signal Induna Park a week tonight.
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So we are likely to see both Anthony Ralston and Auston Trusty retaining their place in the Celtic team on Saturday in the late kick-off in Perth. However both Liam Scales and Greg Taylor are likely to come back into the back four for the 5.45pm kick-off at McDiarmid Park.
The Celtic Star contributor Johnno made a decent point on here last night, pointing out that Dortmund are playing their Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum on Friday evening whereas Celtic are having to play on Saturday evening ahead of an away European match in the Champions League on Tuesday. That’s to suit Premier Sports who could easily have shown that game on Friday night.
Expect Brendan Rodgers to be planning to play the same team (shown below) that beat Slovan Bratislava 5-1 on match-day one on Tuesday night in Dortmund. All he has to do is negotiate the trip to Perth on Saturday evening before he can be sure of his team for the Champions League.
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Would also be very surprised if AJ and CCV were risked on Saturday?
Could totally understand why Rodgers made so many changes against Falkirk, with such a dilemma in the making for himself?
In return, I would also say that he was very disappointed in what was on view, before he was forced into making the changes, to advance within the cup?
This Saturday, followed by a massive CL match on a Tuesday, is not only in the making this week either?
We also have the semi final against the sheep, followed by a home match against Leipzig?
At least no travelling involved when that scenario comes upon ourselves?
Only highlights the quality of an overall squad, that has to be put in place, to match the overall demands of our clubs requirements?
Having to risk key players with niggling injuries remains a massive gamble, so early into the season, for bigger and longer term injuries to occur, and don’t believe Rodgers will be taking such a risk either imo?
Game management is another issue for Rodgers to overcome also, especially as keeping a high tempo and intensity game in place, that is proving to be so successful at present?
Rodgers possibly wouldn’t want to be making changes within his defensive set up during matches, especially as the preferred option would be to use the 5 subs available for the midfield and attacking areas, in order to keep the tempo and intensity intact for ourselves?
As much as we would like to keep the same 16 players used in matches, the reality within todays footballing world is that really isn’t a reality that we are going to have to face up to either?
Still believe that rocki is the better option as a replacement for CCV than Welsh imo, and could well be in the offering for Saturday also imo?