Celtic could now be without a fourth sidelined player for the Boxing Day clash against Motherwell and beyond, manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed.
Celtic prepare for Boxing Day action
The Hoops endured a rare disappointing day at the office in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, only managing to draw 0-0 away to Dundee United and struggling to ever hit top gear. Rangers’ 1-0 win at home to Dundee means that Celtic’s rivals are now nine points behind in the title race.
On Boxing Day, Rodgers’ side welcome Motherwell to Parkhead for one of the most traditional days in the British footballing calendar, acting as a great chance for the Hoops to get back to winning ways.
That said, Celtic’s upcoming opponents are fourth in the Scottish Premiership table, picking up seven points from their last three matches in the competition, so it could still be a test, on a day when the champions will want to get back to winning ways.
Celtic suffer another injury blow
In quotes provided by The Daily Mail, Rodgers confirmed that Nicolas Kuhn is a major injury doubt for Celtic’s clash with Motherwell, having missed the weekend draw, and he could be out even longer, casting doubt over the upcoming fixtures against St Johnstone and the Gers.
“I don’t know how long Nicolas will be out for. Hopefully it’s not long term. He felt a problem with his knee and then he felt a twinge on Saturday. We hope that it’s not too long but I will find out more on Monday about whether he will be back for Thursday. He’d been running and moving okay but he felt a twinge when he passed the ball and we will need to see.”
Not having Kuhn available for the Boxing Day action would be an undoubted setback for Celtic, especially considering he was not the only player sidelined this past weeked, joining Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and right-back Alistair Johnston.
The 24-year-old has registered 11 goal contributions in as many appearances in the Scottish Premiership – five goals and six assists – while Rodgers knows all about his quality from out wide, saying: “He is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play.
“He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.”
Celtic showed how much they need Kuhn in the team last weekend, with the German playing no part in the stalemate against Dundee United, and the trip to Ibrox in the New Year certainly becomes more perilous without him.
The winger’s ability to wreak havoc from his right-sided attacking role is such a weapon for the Hoops, not least because of his ability to cut on to his deadly left foot, and having him available for festive fixtures would be huge.
