Celtic star Sebastian Tounekti could be vital on Thursday night in a Europa League clash with Benfica due to an injury on the other side. The Bhoys face a huge test in Lisbon as they look to get their Europa League campaign going.
The Bhoys lost their opening game of the competition, losing at home to Ferencvaros, and picking up points away to Benfica is going to arguably be their most difficult test of the league phase.
Benfica went all of last season unbeaten in the league, and while they have since had to swap José Mourinho for Marco Silva, they have already beaten AC Milan away from home in this competition to prove their evident quality.
But anything can happen, as ever in football, and Celtic will believe they can go there and get a result as they look to prove wrong their apparent fragility against better teams.
One potential boost is the problem Benfica appear to have developing at right-back. Their right-sided full-back Alexander Bah is a doubt having struggled with a muscular issue, and young replacement Daniel Banjaqui has also been dealing with a small issue which will require him to be assessed ahead of the game.
If both are deemed unavailable, Benfica will likely have to turn to a left-sided full-back to play on the right, and that could create an opportunity for Celtic.
Sebastian Tounekti is the most likely option on the left side of the Celtic attack after putting in a strong performance against Motherwell over the weekend.
Tounekti has struggled this season, particularly with his final product, but he did look sharper over the weekend, having a very good first half, in particular. Aside from that potentially new-found form, Yang Hyun-jun returned from the Asian Games with a hamstring issue, and while he is close to returning, he is unlikely to be risked as a starter.
Haissem Hassan could also play on his less favoured side, or he could start on the right and Camilo Duran could play on the left, but Tounekti remains the most likely option.
If he starts, it will be a huge game for the winger. Tounekti has been heavily criticised this season, often looking sharp over the first few yards but struggling to produce the final cross or beat the last man.
If Benfica do have an out of positioned or inexperienced right-back on Thursday, Tounekti has the opportunity to make or break Celtic's performance in Lisbon.
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