Images from training at Celtic Park and Glasgow Airport suggest that Brendan Rodgers will have to do without Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
It could all be an elaborate hoax by the club with the defender already checked into a hotel in Dortmund but the recent tone from Brendan Rodgers suggests that there are no mind games at play.
Carter-Vickers was late to join up for pre-season training after playing in the Copa America, two months into the season there has been a few occasions when news has leaked out over injury concerns.
The former Spurs defender missed training ahead of the Glasgow Derby on September 1, played through that match then missed out on joining up with the USA international squad.
After missing the matches against Falkirk and St Johnstone Rodgers has had time to work on formations with Saturday’s combination of Liam Scales and Auston Trusty looking like starters for Tuesday’s match.
With Scales as the senior partner in that partnership it highlights how far the former Shamrock Rovers man has come in the last 13 months, not many Celtic players pick up successive Man of the Match awards in the Champions League.
The loss of Carter-Vickers will clearly be a big blow to Rodgers and his plans for the match but unlike a year ago he has a defined template with eight or nine starters known for the match- with some quality options on the bench.
Deciding between Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo for the third midfield spot seems to be the only choice to make with whoever misses out certain to come off the bench during the second half.
Bridging the gulf between crushing domestic opponents and squaring up to genuine European heavyweights is a massive ask but there are signs that this Celtic squad has taken the lessons of the last two seasons on board and added some quality and substance.
Nicolas Kuhn and Arne Engels fall into that category with both players well aware of what to expect in Dortmund tomorrow night.
Much will depend on how the new look defensive partnership stands up, a midfield trio of Callum McGregor, Bernardo and Engels should certainly be able to offer the level of protection that was absent in the last two Champions League campaigns.
Celtic have been fragile and vulnerable in their last two Champions League campaigns, at this level teams are punished in a way that just isn’t possible in Scotland.
Against Slovan Bratislava the reputation of Celtic and Rodgers in Europe was restored a little, a competent performance at the home of last season’s runners-up would go a long way to building on that with Scales and Trusty critical to what Celtic achieve on Tuesday night.
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