Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has confirmed that Alistair Johnston is set for a scan amid a fresh scare over Mika Baur. The Bhoys pulled off a huge win on Wednesday night to put one foot firmly in the Champions League league phase, beating LASK 3-0 in the first leg of their play-off tie.
Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring with a super strike, and then Camilo Duran offered a volley that was just as good, then going on to score another cracker in the second half.
It was a rather open game, with LASK having a goal disallowed in the opening minute - and what a goal it would have been. The Austrian side also had another goal disallowed later in the first half.
O'Neill will have been a little frsutrated with how open his side were at times, but they also showed real quality at the other end of the pitch and a 3-0 win in a Champions League playoff is a very fine win indeed.
Injury latest
Celtic were without Alistair Johnston for the game, with the right-back having picked up an injury in the Kilmarnock game. Providing an update on the full-back, O'Neill said: "By the time I meet up with you again, we should have an idea (how long he will be out),”
Fortunately for O'Neill, Colby Donovan produced a superb performance at right-back in Johsnton's place, and had it not been for Duran's outstanding performance, he likely would have been man of the match.
Another concern popped up later in the game when Baur appeared to roll his ankle, forcing a substitution. Baur had a solid game in one of the holding roles, with Celtic having few other choices to replace Arne Engels, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suspended for the play-off games.
Baur usually plays further forward but had to help out alongside Callum McGregor in this one. Baur did go off, and we don't yet know if it will keep him out for next week's second leg, but it didn't look overly serious.
The German was trying to test out and run off the injury prior to being brought off. That would suggest it's not a serious injury, but we will wait for further confirmation later this week, when we will likely get some snaps from training.
Fortunately for Celtic, they do not have to worry about playing this weekend due to having the right to cancel the game in the wake of being involved in the playoffs, which the club exercised to give themselves the best chance of success in Austria.
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