Celtic go into tonight’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig with a number of key players missing. Cameron Carter-Vickers is a huge loss to the team, while Liel Abada and Carl Starfelt are also notable absentees. Meanwhile, Aaron Mooy has not travelled and Giorgios Giakoumakis is only fit enough for the bench.
But tonight is not a night for excuses. Celtic have performed exceptionally well in their opening two group games, but have come away with only a single point due to some incredibly poor finishing. Had they been ruthless in front of goal, they could have found themselves top of the group, or certainly sitting second ahead of Shakhtar.
Being without important players is likely to mean that the Bhoys will struggle to hit that level of performance, especially in an away game. However, it is time to stand up and be counted. We must deal with the situation and make the best of it. There is still plenty of talent on the park, from Jota and Kyogo to McGregor and O’Riley. If Celtic are ruthless in front of goal, then they will give themselves a chance to win the game, regardless of whether the personnel enables us to hit top form or not… and who knows, one or two of the replacements could come of age on the big European stage.
Ange Postecoglou is certainly not the type of manager to look for an easy way out. He will be searching for victory and taking any setbacks in his stride. Indeed, his team did just that in the run up to Christmas last season, when the Bhoys went on a phenomenal winning streak despite a wealth of injury problems.
Let’s hope the Celts find a way this evening. Three points would put us in a strong position to play European football beyond Christmas, but a point would be acceptable with two home games coming up.
