Celtic The team are preparing to face Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final this weekend, but a new update suggests they could be without a key player for the much-anticipated match.
Celtic face Rangers in the League Cup final
The Hoops were held to a 0-0 draw by Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening, a respectable point in the Champions League, as they continue to give themselves a good chance of getting into the play-offs in Europe's biggest club competition early next year.
Now it's time to focus on a huge game on Sunday afternoon Celtic They face rivals Rangers in the League Cup final, as they compete to win their first domestic title of the season.
The Hoops' enemies are the Cup holders, however Brendan RodgersThe team beat them in the Scottish Cup Final last season and will be hoping to do the same again at Hampden Park this weekend.
Celtic will enter the match as favourites, given their current lead at the top of the standings Scottish Premier League title, but it is a match that could still be decided by a narrow margin. Both sides have injury concerns ahead of kick-off and a key update regarding one individual has been dropped.
Worrying news about Celtic's injury has emerged ahead of the final
On Friday, snapshots of Sky Sports Show it Alastair Johnstone was not part of CITIC's training sessionWhich suggests he could be a doubt for the final against Rangers this weekend. Not having Johnston available for a game of this magnitude would be a huge blow for Celtic, considering the consistent performer he has become at right-back.
The 26-year-old won two league titles during his time with the Hoops, and this season, He scored four goals and an assist each In the league, highlighting the impressive level of end product he provided from his role as a full-back.
Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner He praised the work Johnston has done since arriving from Montreal at the end of 2022, saying: “Johnstone has settled in very well. People talked about (Josip) Joranović being a star player but Celtic haven't missed him – that's how good Johnstone has done.”
Hopefully his absence from training is nothing serious, but the fact that he has not been seen alongside his teammates ahead of such a big occasion can only suggest that there are real doubts about his readiness to face Rangers.
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Celtic are simply a better team when Johnstone is playing, whether that be due to his defensive solidity or his attacking quality, so seeing him in the starting line-up on Sunday will immediately increase Rodgers' side's chances of winning another title.
