Two defenders were ruled out of today’s game by injury, according to Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who also revealed that five substitutions were made midweek against Slovan Bratislava late in the second half, suggesting that some of the changes were precautionary. Rodgers stated on Celtic TV that “we’ve got a few changes that are enforced,” referring to Cam Carter-Vickers and Ali Johnston as players who have been dealing with some niggles. “It’s a chance for us to give them a break, so for them, it’s enforced.”
Speaking to Premier Sports ahead of the game, Rodgers went into greater detail. He said: “So, Ali Johnston’s had a bit of a niggle for a wee bit of time, so he had an injection, so he has a rest, and then he’ll start training with us midweek next week. And then we’ve got Cameron Carter-Vickers; Cam has had an issue with his foot for a few weeks, and he’s been having injections, but it didn’t feel great for him in the game during the week. “He’s so brave and he’s so courageous; he wants to play, but we just felt this was a chance to offload it and give him that chance to hopefully recover.”
It appears that Johnston’s setback isn’t as extreme as Carter-Vickers’, with Rodgers putting a timescale on his return for midweek next week.
Unlike Carter-Vickers, who he wasn’t as certain about a time period, Rodgers mentioned Johnston’s character, highlighting that the USA international will play even when other players wouldn’t be willing.
However, Rodgers will manage his fitness.
It may be a case of patience for the Celtic support, with the Irishman likely to update on Carter-Vickers’ condition at next week’s pre-match press conference.
