GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MARCH 08: Celtic's Tomas Cvancara celebrates scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out during a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium, on March 08, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Tomas Cvancara was a very noticeable omission from the Celtic squad today.
The on loan striker started the matches away to Dundee and St Mirren.
At Hampden he didn’t make it into the 20 man squad.
Junior Adamu, signed on loan at the same time as Cvancara did make it onto the bench.
It would have been easy for O’Neill to wrap up the reason for Cvancara’s non-appearance.
It could have been a niggle on the training ground, illness or whatever.
CVANCARA IS DROPPED BY O’NEILL
O’Neill chose a very different route with The Celtic Way picking up on his pre-match interview with BBC Scotland.
Interim boss O’Neill described his omission as “slight rotation” with Daizen Maeda playing up front. And he explained how the attacker would have been available to play had he been picked.
“No, he’s not injured,” O’Neill told BBC Sportsound before kick-off. “We have a couple of players, Scales is suspended for a start so big Benji Arthur comes in there.
“Arne Engels starts in the game, it’s just a manner of, if I can call it, slight rotation.”
Daizen Maeda was switched to play as striker and opened the scoring within a minute.
Kelechi Iheanacho was a late substitute and turned the match with two goals in extra-time.
Adamu didn’t get on the pitch.
From first choice last week at home to St Mirren it seems that Cvancara has slipped to fourth choice.
That doesn’t mean to say that his Celtic career has closed.
While the Czech striker was slotting away the winning penalty at Ibrox Iheanacho wasn’t in the Celtic squad for the quarter-final.
Joel Mvuku made it onto the pitch and hasn’t been seen since.
Celtic now have five matches to try and win the SPFL Premiership title.
O’Neill is working under a number of limitations with a number of players unable to complete 90 minutes.
Rotation will be the order of the day in midfield and attack.
Cvancara could still have a say in Celtic’s title hopes but as of today he has slipped dramatically down the pecking order.
The SPFL season finishes with matches on May 10, 13 and 16. That schedule is going to test O’Neill’s rotation to the maximum.
Celtic start their post-split fixtures on Saturday when Falkirk visit Celtic Park for the fourth time, the third in the SPFL Premiership.
It all seems pretty straightforward: win 6 games and we’ll almost certainly win the double. Just recreate the 1st part of extra time today and it’s job done. But, a word of caution: we’ll need to do it every game except the ‘final’ game within 90 minutes.
COYBIG, DO THE DOUBLE AND DUMP THE BOARD.