Rodgers hit with fresh double blow for Ibrox

Maik Nawrocki will join Cameron Carter-Vickers on the sidelines when the hoops visit Ibrox on September 3 for the first derby of the season.

The Pole made his third Celtic appearance in the Viaplay Cup defeat against Kilmarnock on Sunday and is reported to have picked up a hamstring knock late in the match.

Playing on the plastic pitch at Rugby Park always carries additional risk with Brendan Rodgers’ team building plans taking another pounding on Sunday.

The well informed David Friel of The Sun reports:

CELTIC’S defensive crisis has deepened after Maik Nawrocki was crocked.

And the Pole is set to join Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh in missing the September 3 Old Firm clash.

SunSport understands £4million defender Nawrocki picked up a hamstring injury in the closing stages of Celtic’s defeat to Kilmarnock on Sunday.

The 22-year-old now faces a spell on the sidelines and isn’t expected to be back in time for the Ibrox match.

Carter-Vickers is also set to miss the Rangers fixture as Celtic wait on an exact timeframe for his hamstring injury.

Three days after signing for Celtic Gustaf Lagerbielke finds himself as the last central defender standing.

Liam Scales was on the bench at Kilmarnock but hasn’t played for the hoops since appearing in the UEAF Conference away to Bodo Glimt in February 2022.

Tomoki Iwata was forced into playing in central defence at the end of last season and could find himself involved there against St Johnstone on Saturday.