Celtic have been handed one injury blow after another another at the start of the 2023/24 campaign. This is not the start that Brendan Rodgers would have been hoping for. Not only are several key players out on the sidelines but the Hoops are already out of the Scottish League Cup as well.
Unfortunately, there are tougher tests ahead for Celtic. The game against the Rangers away at Ibrox next month will certainly fall under that category.
Celtic pretty much dominated the Glasgow Derby during the time of Ange Postecoglou as manager. This does not look like the well-oiled winning machine from last season though. Instead, this appears to be a team that is struggling to find its identity following the change in managers and is lacking a creative spark as well.
Amidst all this, Rodgers has confirmed that Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki will be out for around eight weeks. As reported by Sky Sports, the Celtic manager said:
"“It is obviously disappointing for us in terms of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh, probably about eight weeks.“Stephen Welsh had an operation just the other day so he has come through that well.“The other two we were hopeful would come back sooner, but we sought further scans on them and it puts them probably about eight weeks from now.”"
Rodgers confirms Celtic duo will miss Glasgow Derby
Stephen Welsh was always expected to miss the trip to Ibrox, having undergone surgery following an injury suffered in training. And now, Carter-Vickers and Nawrocki will be joining him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Those are arguably the three best centre-backs that Celtic have right now. So, it goes without saying that the situation is far from ideal.
One can only hope that the club decide to bring in another proper centre-back before the summer transfer window shuts down. Of course, this was not in the plans, as they had already made two additions in that position. But the circumstances dictate that more reinforcements are needed there. Otherwise, Rodgers’ side could find themselves in a lot of trouble. It is not just about the Glasgow Derby but also about the Champions League games that are coming up.