Celtic fans were handed an unexpected blow, when it emerged that Cameron Carter-Vickers had suffered an injury and will not be playing against Real Madrid in the club’s final Champions League group stage game, away at the Santiago Bernabeu. This is bad news for the Hoops, whose chances of getting anything against Carlo Ancelotti’s side were already slim.
Not only is Carter-Vickers Celtic’s best defender, but he has carried the captain’s arm band as well, in the absence of Callum McGregor, who is also injured and will not play vs Real Madrid.
So, Celtic have been left significantly weakened heading into the big match at the Santiago Bernabeu, a chance that does not come around often. Not only are Carter-Vickers and McGregor out, but Jota might not be fit enough to start either.
Amidst all this, Ange Postecoglou has shared some details of the injury suffered by Carter-Vickers and unsurprisingly, it came on the artificial turf at Livingston on the weekend. As reported by Football Scotland, the Celtic manager said in his press conference:
"“Cameron Carter-Vickers pulled up a bit sore after the game on Sunday. The artificial pitch wasn’t great for him so we’ve left him at home.“Everyone else apart from Callum (McGregor) – obviously he’s out – is fit and available.”"
Celtic boss shares details of the injury suffered by Carter-Vickers
While Carter-Vickers might be out of the game against Real Madrid, Carl Starfelt has not returned from his injury either.
This leaves Celtic weak at the back and it is unclear how fit Stephen Welsh is, as he has had his issues in recent weeks as well.
On the other hand, Real Madrid are expected to put out their best team on the day as the top spot in the group is still up for grabs. Thus, things are not looking good for Celtic at this point of time. It remains to be seen how they deal with the matter. The club have not picked up a win in the competition yet and it is their last chance to do so.