Celtic duo look set to receive major Scotland chance

Celtic full backs aren’t used to playing second fiddle to many, but two in particular have had to be patient and hard working to earn their places. The Hoops have more depth there now with Josip Juranovic and Anthony Ralston on the right and Alexandro Bernabei and Greg Taylor on the left.

Ralston and Juranovic swap places pretty consistently for matches whereas Bernabei is still settling into the squad, after his summer move from Argentina, giving Taylor more game time at the moment.

Both the Scottish full-backs have worked hard over the last season and this one to make sure they were in the reckoning for selection for the Hoops. Ralston in particular has recovered from looking like his time at Celtic was about to come to an end to being an invaluable squad player. Taylor has improved his performances considerably and now regularly earns the fans’ admiration, having been heavily criticised in the past.

A key point in their progression has been how quickly the pair of them adapted to Ange Postecoglou’s inverted full back system. That calls for a quite different style of play and positioning for a full back and they both led the way in making ‘Angeball’ work last season. So much so that Kieran Tierney has been quoted by Football Scotland about picking up tips from Taylor that he can use at Arsenal.

Scotland opportunity knocking for Celtic full-backs

With Tierney and Aaron Hickey both injury doubts, there could be a huge opportunity for Celtic duo, Taylor and Ralston, to step in and show their abilities on the international stage against Ukraine on Tuesday.

As reported by the The Scottish Sun, Ralston said regarding the situation:

"“If you get the chance then you just have to believe in yourself. That’s important in your career, regardless of what level you’re at.“Greg Taylor is like myself. There is a lot of competition in his position.“But he did brilliantly when he came on. He’s had a great start to the season with Celtic as well, so I’m very pleased for him.”"

It’s another tough game for the pair, but you’d expect both to be ready to make a significant contribution and help Scotland get a result if called upon, meaning they remain top of their UEFA Nations League table.