It is safe to say that results have been mixed for Celtic recently but the performances have certainly been promising. The 4-3 defeat against Real Betis away in Seville in the Europa League is the perfect example of that. Most fans would have been disappointed not to see the team come out of that game with a point or three after going 2-0 up inside 30 minutes. But considering the circumstances, it was a good showing from Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Going into the game, most people probably would have been content with that result. At the end of the day, the odds were stacked against Celtic. An away trip to Seville to face a very strong Real Betis side managed by Manuel Pellegrini was always going to be difficult. On top of that the Hoops were missing several players.
One man who missed the game against Real Betis is Liel Abada. The 19-year-old has been very impressive ever since arriving in the summer but was not available for the away trip to Spain due to religious reasons.
Postecoglou has confirmed though that Abada will be back for the upcoming game against Livingston. As reported by The Scottish Sun, the manager said:
"“Liel Abada will come back as well after missing Spain.“On Thursday we had to put Adam Montgomery there — a 19-year-old left-back and we were putting him up against quality European opposition.”"
Abada will be available for Celtic in the upcoming game against Livingston
Abada’s return will be a massive boost for Celtic. At this moment, they appear to be a bit short of options in several positions.
It will be interesting to see the front three that Postecoglou fields when Abada is back. It was Jota who played on the right wing against Real Betis and did well there but he might return to the left flank against Livingston. On the other hand, Albian Ajeti has done well in the past couple of games and would be expected to keep his place in the team.
A front-three of Abada, Ajeti and Jota certainly has some potential. They already played together in the 3-0 win against Ross County and might very well be reunited against Livingston.