Celtic major blow for second leg against FC Copenhagen

Celtic have received a major blow ahead of the match against Copenhagen as key players for Copenhagen are now fit to play.

Celtic are set to host Copenhagen on Thursday in the second leg of the Europa League’s Round of 32. While the Hoops scored a coveted away goal when they visited Copenhagen last week, they only managed a draw after a lackluster second half.

Copenhagen sold its star striker, Pieros Sotiriou, ahead of the first match against Celtic, which hinder their ability to effectively score goals. Even then, Celtic were unable to continue their dominance into the second half of the match.

Now, Copenhagen is set to have three of its star players healthy, and ready to take the pitch on Thursday after initially having injury scares. The Hoops will have to contend with a full-strength Copenhagen squad.

Speaking  to the Daily Record, Copenhagen boss Ståle Solbakken confirmed that all of his players will be ready to go against the Hoops:

"“I have all the same players ready as against Silkeborg plus Ragnar Sigurdssonn and Dame N’Doye are back.“Only the long-term injured players are not ready to face Celtic.”"

Dame N’Doye, the lone goal scorer for Copenhagen last week, had an injury scare over the weekend, and his return is a massive boost for the Danish-side. Hoops fans should expect Copenhagen to come out playing hard and fast.

With everything on the line in Europe, this match should easily be the toughest test yet for this Hoops squad who have been on a roll lately despite some injury concerns. The match on Thursday promises to be one of the bests and most entertaining of the season.

The Celtic Bhoys’ prediction for the match against Copenhagen on Thursday is 2-1 Hoops.

Let us know what you think down in the comments section!