Another interesting Media Conference today from Ange Postecoglou who started by giving an injury update to what is becoming the customary opening question. “Injury wise Josip Juranovic is the most significant and he will miss the weekend. The others who went off with a combination of cramps and knocks will be fine for Sunday,” the Celtic manager said.
Later in the conference the expect length of the Juranovic lay-off was clarified with Ange saying: “it is hard to say as it is one of those where the injury hasn’t really settled down yet and it is fair to say that he will be out for a couple of weeks and after that, we are going to see how he recovers.”
So Juranovic will miss at least the two games against Ross County and theRangers and possibly even the Hearts game after that. It gives Anthony Ralston an opportunity, that he probably deserves given the outstanding contribution he has made this season, to get a run of games at the business end of the campaign.
There was better news regarding Giorgos Giakoumakis’s situation. The Greek striker was a big miss last weekend in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to theRangers with The Celtic manager previously saying that he expected the striker to miss just one game and that looks like being the way it’t turned out with Giakoumakis available for Sunday’s trip to Dingwall.
“Yes, he will be available,” Ange confirmed today. “He trained earlier in the week and then integrated into the squad sessions and he is ready to go.”
Ange also discussed the new luxury of having both Giakoumakis and Kyogo fit and available at the same time, imagine those two and Maeda all playing together!
“That is pleasing,” Ange said. “We have kind of had one or the other available all season. Having them both available in the last five games is good because we will need them both in these last five games.
“They provide different options for us upfront against different oppositions and they are both quality players who have scored goals in this league from that perspective, it is good to have them both available.
“With Kyogo last week he probably got more game time than we thought he would because of extra time but he came through it really well and Giakoumakis has only missed a week and hasn’t needed to top up in terms of fitness and he is ready to go as well.”
Watch Ange Postecoglou’s Media Conference below….
