South Korean duo Ki Sung-Yueng and Cha Du-Ri will miss out on the January 2 clash with Rangers at Ibrox.
Both players have been named in the South Korean squad for the Asian Cup in Qatar and will meet up with their international team-mates on December 26.
Neil Lennon could be without Ki and Cha for upto a month with the tournament in Qatar running until January 29 with South Korea amongst the favourites in the 16 team event.
Unlike the recent Asian Games the Asian Cup is an official FIFA recognised event, being hosted by the 2022 World Cup nation, with clubs obliged to release players.
Celtic may ask for special permission to retain their players for a week since their first match isn’t until January 10 but the tournament is considered second only to the World Cup by the Koreans.
Ki has a special reason for wanting to do well knowing that winning the tournament will spare him from having to do national service before the age of 28.
Cha was part of the 2002 Korean World Cup semi-finalists that have been excused national service.
Korean coach Cho Kwang-Rae will take a 22 man squad to Abu Dhabi on December 26 to begin preparations which includes a game against Syria on December 30.
Korea’s first match is against Bahrain on December 10 followed by games against Australia and India over eight days.
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Just to let you know the players will not avoid having to do there national service even if they win the cup.