Celtic midfielder ruled out vs Shakhtar due to illness

Celtic will be hoping to get a positive result when they come up against Shakhtar Donetsk, after they lost their opening game of the Champions League campaign vs Real Madrid. If the Hoops end up losing this one as well, then they will be in a terrible spot and their chances of qualifying to the knockout phase would be slim at best. A draw would be a decent result, and a win brilliant.

Celtic did not play last weekend, as their game vs Livingston was postponed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

As a result, Celtic have gotten a while to concentrate only on this game and hopefully, that will end up showing in their performance as well. Shakhtar Donetsk will be coming into the match in top form, having beaten RB Leipzig 4-1 in the opener and they are undefeated overall in this campaign till now.

On the other hand, as tweeted out by The Cynic, Ange Postecoglou revealed that James McCarthy felt ill and did not travel.

Celtic midfielder ruled out vs Shakhtar Donetsk due to illness

McCarthy’s illness is not expected to have an impact on the Celtic starting XI. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has made just one appearance and played 14 minutes of football this season till now.

In the Champions League opener, McCarthy was left on the bench. There have also been occasions this season when he has not been included in the squad at all.

Still, McCarthy is an experienced campaigner who has played in some high pressure matches through the course of his career, and that experience could come in handy during these situations, both on and off the pitch.

Thus, him being absent is a bit of a blow but should not be something that has a big impact on Celtic’s plans for the game against Shakhtar Donetsk.