Celtic have been delivered a major boost with the news that 22-year-old forward Timo Werner is set to miss out on their Europa League clash v RB Leipzig on Thursday.
He hasn’t played in the competition yet this season and the Daily Record reports that he will miss out again on Thursday.
The club are targeting the Champions League next season and are set to save their star man for the Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga game that follows the Celtic game as they try and regulate his minutes with an ongoing toe injury.
He scored twice at the weekend in a 3-0 win against Hertha Berlin and has netted six times in 10 Bundesliga games so far this season.
OPINION
This is good news for Celtic in what’s a must-win game for Brendan Rodgers’ men. Celtic host Leipzig on Thursday with just three points from their first three games but could leapfrog the Germans with a win. Salzburg play Rosenborg in the other tie and they can eliminate the Norwegians with a win. That would mean a straight battle for the second-place spot between Celtic and Leipzig with two more matches to play. Europe after Christmas has long been an ambition for Rodgers and the financial rewards, although not as good as the Champions League, can’t be ignored. Plus, there’s the fact that at the moment Rangers are looking like a good shot to qualify. Rangers getting through to the round of 32 and Celtic not would be a bitter pill to swallow and any help, like Werner’s absence, is great news for the Scottish Champions.