Before today’s match against Motherwell at home, Celtic has no new injury concerns, and every member of the international team has returned to Lennoxtown unharmed.
The Bhoys begin a hectic schedule during the holiday season both domestically and overseas when they play the Steelmen at home in the Scottish Premiership.
In order to get through the fixtures, Rodgers needs to have as deep a roster as possible, and any new injuries at this point would seriously hamper his plans.
Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada won’t be making an early comeback, but Rodgers has stated that Kyogo is okay following Slobodan Rubezic’s careless challenge, and the rumours that Luis Palma sustained injuries during the match against Mexico are untrue.
Brendan Rodgers is with the Celtic team before Motherwell.
According to the Scottish Sun, the Celtic manager stated: “On Thursday, a few more players returned, but Luis Palma and Ally Johnston did not return until Friday.”
The others have all returned safely. Not even Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada, two of the guys who were previously out, will be back to full fitness.
Kyogo Furuhashi has joined the group and is doing fine.” He needed a week to get back on his feet, but that should not be a problem.
In response to rumours about Palma, Rodgers said [Daily Record]: “He played 90 minutes.” I believe the person who wrote the report used the incorrect name! One player in particular stood out.
In the overtime and penalty-filled match between Honduras and Mexico, Palma did, in fact, play the entire ninety minutes prior to being replaced.
Whether the Honduran starts against Motherwell from the beginning is still to be seen. Likewise, with Johnston. Given that Lazio is approaching quickly on Tuesday, they might be well-rested after arriving back at Lennoxtown so late in the week. Rodgers has a good group to pick from today, though, and everyone is hoping for another three points.
