Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Kilmarnock v Celtic - Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland, Britain - April 16, 2023 Celtic players in a huddle before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Brendan Rodgers will give two key defenders another full day of training before deciding on his side to face Ross County on Saturday.
Cameron-Carter Vickers got the first half of Tuesday’s match against Athletic Club Bilbao with Tony Ralston getting the second 45 minutes.
The former Spurs defender has been out injured since the end of April, undergoing knee surgery soon after another inspired performance in the Scottish Cup semi-final win at Hampden with knee surgery.
Alistair Johnston suffered an injury during the same match, returned for the last two matches of the season then picked up an injury on international duty which opened the door for Ralston before he got injured during the pre-season trip to the Algarve.
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Both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Anthony Ralston came through the game midweek which was great news for us. We have another day to go but they are back with the squad.
They probably aren’t up to speed like some of the other boys are but they still look in really good condition; apart from that it is still the guys who have been out for a period of time and are a little bit far off. Hopefully, over the course of the next few weeks, some more will return.
Both players looked very comfortable against Athletic Club but a competitive match is a different challenge.
With Celtic away to Aberdeen on August 13 Rodgers has to decide whether he could put Ralston and Carter-Vickers straight into that match or whether they need to get the feel for competitive action on Saturday against less demanding opposition than Barry Robson’s side.
Let’s keep things going from last season by picking up 3 points on Saturday and 4 or 5 goals in the process, and get the marker down early nobody is grabbing this title from us.
This will keep the pressure on sevco and should shut their friends up in the media.
We will need to keep ahead of them in goal difference again this season as the refs will be giving support and help more than ever before for them to match us point for point.
Four or five friendly games into the warm up of the season and Tavpen has 3 penalties already this will be shape of how the season is going to pan out for them.
Also should the klan klub not make the champions league stages and end up in the europa league meaning Sunday- Thursday football for sevco,watch how the SPFL CHISEL the fixtures about by moving our games we would be playing on a Saturday to fit in on a Sunday along side sevco.
Now should sevco get through to the champions league group stages watch how their league games take place on a Saturday while we play on a Sunday.
Still remains very unclear still as to how Rodgers will want to set us up defensively still, of course that points to having so many missing for the pre season.
If you included AJ into the equation, that would mean we have 7 CB under contract at present, so is that an indication that Rodgers intends going for the 3CB option at the back?
Still think that might be the option on the longer term, yet could well be to early for Saturday?
Will be interesting to see what Rodgers opts for, with such great competition for starting roles, with a strong bench available with many tactical switches available to him also.
Think the team are going to have so many variables this coming season, that no team are going to be to certain how we will line out, which is going to make it even more difficult to find and work out plans to stop us imo, the way it should be also