Brendan Rodgers revealed that Celtic’s Dedryck Boyata is unlikely to recover from his groin injury in time to play against Zenit St Petersburg on February 15 as the club’s injury crisis worsens.
The centre-back sustained the injury during the Hoops’ 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock on Saturday and Rodgers answered a question about Boyata’s chances of featuring against the Russian giants.
“I don’t think he will be (available), the medical team are saying it is probably going to be around a couple of weeks,” said Rodgers, as quoted by the Daily Record.
Rodgers’ update suggests that the 27-year-old could make it back in time to play the return leg of the Europa League clash against Zenit, which takes place on February 22.
Boyata will be a noticeable miss for the Bhoys in their first meeting with Zenit, as he has been a regular presence in the heart of their defence this season.
The centre-back has made 28 appearances across all competitions this season and has even managed to get on the scoresheet twice during this campaign.
Boyata is the latest senior player to be unlikely to feature against Zenit as Leigh Griffiths and Craig Gordon are both due to miss the game.
The BBC previously reported that Gordon was set to miss 12 weeks of action due to a knee injury, with Griffiths out for 4 weeks with a calf problem, which would cause the duo not to be fit enough on February 15.
The Scottish Sun also previously reported that Tom Rogic and Patrick Roberts were both unlikely to make it back from injury in time for the first-leg of the Europa League tie.
OPINION
Celtic will be doing all they can to ensure Boyata is ready for the second-leg against Zenit, as they will desperately need him if they want the best chance of progressing in the tournament. While the 27-year-old has made some disappointing performances this season, he is still arguably their best centre-back at the club. Rodgers will now have to risk playing 22-year-old Jack Hendry at the back for the very important game in the Europa League. The Hoops look like they’ve practically got the Scottish Premier League title guaranteed and Rodgers knows his performance as manager will be judged on how his side get on in the Europa League in the second half of the season.