Jota has been a key player for Celtic since he arrived on a season-long loan from Benfica last season. He was so good that the club ended up signing him on a permanent basis in the summer and he has not disappointed. Heading into the upcoming Glasgow Derby in the Scottish Cup semi-final, there are concerns about the situation of the Portuguese winger.
Jota has been important against the Rangers during his time at Celtic. He even scored against Michael Beale’s side during their previous meeting, in a 3-2 win at Parkhead.
But he has missed the past couple of games for Celtic, against Kilmarnock and Motherwell. The Hoops even ended up dropping points at home this weekend, and his absence certainly might have played a part in the unimpressive display.
Thus, fans will be hoping that Jota is fit to feature against the Rangers next weekend. And while it looks like he is close to returning, there is no certainty of the matter. As reported by The Herald, when asked about Hatate and Jota, Ange Postecoglou told BBC:
"“We’ll see. They will have a full week to train.“It’s fair to say they are close. Abada is close as well so we’ll see how they go.“Irrespective of if they are available or not we’ve just to prepare ourselves and get ready for a big game.”"
Celtic boss finally offers Jota news amid injury fears
It is safe to say that the comments from Postecoglou might leave Celtic fans a bit nervous ahead of the Glasgow Derby. The club will certainly have to do much better than they did vs Motherwell at the weekend.
It had been a long time that Celtic had dropped points in the league. And it might serve as a bit of a wake up call before the big game vs the Rangers.
Their performances have not been great in recent weeks. They were not at their best in the previous Glasgow Derby either, even though they won. Of course, a lot of that could be down to the fact that they have been missing key players. Let’s just hope for the best next weekend.