Celtic could be without the in-form Giorgos Giakoumakis for their huge Scottish Cup semi-final clash this weekend.
The Greek striker sustained a suspected hamstring injury on Saturday in their latest victory over St Johnstone as he limped off the pitch.
Would you start Kyogo on Sunday?
Yes
No
Celtic will go into the game on the back of their fantastic run in the Scottish Premiership which has the Bhoys sitting top of the table, six points clear of Rangers.
And the game comes just two weeks on from Celtic’s victory in the league against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men at Ibrox, which saw Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers get on the scoresheet.
However, with Ange Postecoglou potentially being without one of his main men in front of goal, what could this mean for the Bhoys going into the game on Sunday?
Big blow for Postecoglou
It is just a matter of days now until the Bhoys take to the pitch at Hampden Park and it is apparent there is still little understanding of whether Giakoumakis will be fit enough to feature.
“Nothing concrete yet. Again, we’re still waiting on the final scans on it,” Postecoglou said on Tuesday.
“Hopefully it’s not too bad. He feels like it’s not too bad. But until we get the information, we won’t know.”
Going by the Australian’s comments, it does not seem he is too optimistic the 27-year-old will be able to feature in the game at the weekend.
And that will come as a huge blow to the Bhoys if it is the case given the striker’s recent form he has been able to show in the Scottish Premiership.
Giakoumakis has found the back of the net seven times in his last five appearances in the league, and six of those goals have come within two matches, with a pair of hat-tricks to his name (via Transfermarkt).
Kyogo call-up?
Although the injury to the Greek striker will come as a blow to the Bhoys, the return of Kyogo Furushashi will come as a timely bonus.
The Japanese forward hit the ground running when he arrived in Scotland last summer as he netted 16 goals in his first 27 appearances across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).
And having suffered a hamstring injury back in December, the 27-year-old was able to make his return on the weekend against St Johnstone having replaced Jota.
The summer signing has been back in training for a while now, however, the 27 minutes he was afforded on the weekend was his first taste of match action since Boxing Day.
However, he has a brilliant record in the cup competitions this season as he netted three goals in the League Cup, with two of them coming in the final.
Therefore, Giakoumakis’ absence may not be the end of the world for Celtic ahead of the clash even if their worst fears are confirmed – especially if Kyogo can fill the void he leaves – and history suggests he very well may do with aplomb.
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