Celtic injury state of play as Starfelt and Carter Vickers kick return bids into overdrive while Nawrocki 'ready to go'
Celtic kick off their title defence in less than a week and there's been good news for Brendan Rodgers amid a minor defensive injury crisis.
It looks like Brendan Rodgers' early injury woes are beginning to ease up just in time for the big kick-off this weekend.
And Celtic fans might get a hint during James Forrest's testimonial on Tuesday as to what their defence will look like when things get started for real against Ross County. Rodgers put his side through their paces at Lennoxtown ahead of the Parkhead showdown with Athletic Club where he'll get a final chance to assess his options ahead of the league kickoff.
With Cameron Carter-Vickers on his way back from a long-term injury, Carl Starfelt suffering an ankle knock and Maik Nawrocki not yet fit, they started the draw with Wolves with the unfamiliar pairing of Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales at the back. But it seems unlikely to be the same story on Tuesday or against County on Saturday as all three injury absentees were pictured at training.
Starfelt and Carter-Vickers will be hoping to re-establish their effective partnership from last season although the American may just be eased back in gently, having not played a minute of football since April compared to his Swedish colleague who started against Gamba Osaka last Saturday. But the starting XI against Athletic will be the strongest indication yet as to how that defence will look.
New Polish defender Nawrocki hasn't featured in pre-season yet but he insists he's ready to go, hoping for some minutes on Tuesday to catapult him into league contention. He said: "I'm ready to play tomorrow. It was better to have one more day off, than coming back one too early. It will be different when I go out there Celtic Park. I'm really looking forward to it. The atmosphere looks amazing. It won't be easy (to get in to the team) but we will see what I can do in the game tomorrow."
Anthony Ralston also trained on Monday after missing much of pre-season so far and he could retake his spot from makeshift right-back Tomoki Iwata. However Yuki Kobayashi and Alistair Johnston were not pictured at Lennoxtown and appear likely to miss the start of the season.