Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that he could be missing senior duo Leigh Griffiths and Marvin Compper for the club’s crunch clash against Ashakert in their Champions League qualifying tie.
The Hoops took on Shamrock Rovers in a friendly match before heading out to Armenia for the first leg of their qualifier, with Griffiths, Compper joined by star midfielder Scott Brown sitting on the sidelines due to varying injury setbacks, the midfielder playing 45 minutes in Ireland.
However, while the latter pair are still doubts for the crucial European outing, Rodgers revealed that Brown should return for the match, having been rested as a precaution over a knee issue.
He told the Scottish Sun: “Scott is okay. He had a niggle when we were away in Austria.
“It’s a little issue behind his knee. It’s nothing overly serious and it just stiffened up. At this point in the season I always say to the players we are here to develop our fitness so not to take any risk with injuries.
“Leigh and Marvin were injured so they didn’t travel to Ireland. Hopefully they will come with us but we will see when we go back.”
Opinion
Having Brown available will be absolutely crucial to Rodgers’ hopes of succeeding in Armenia, although his absence would not excuse a defeat to the relative minnows. Celtic should be walking through this tie without much difficulty and having Griffiths sidelined should not be an issue. The likes of Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard, who both played and scored in the 7-0 win, should have enough in their locker to put Ashakert to the sword and pick up victory. Losing Compper is more of a blow though, with Dedryck Boyata’s World Cup exploits leaving a notable gap at the heart of the defence. Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic were the ones chosen to start the friendly clash and will likely be the pair who get the nod for the Champions League qualifier, but Rodgers would no doubt have liked the option of the winter signing at his disposal.