Celtic Faces Injury Concerns Ahead of Old Firm Derby

Celtic’s bruised squad will be patched up and prodded again before Sunday’s Old Firm showdown with Rangers, as Martin O’Neill waits to discover who is fit enough to go again after Thursday night’s Europa League defeat at Celtic Park.

The manager put his players through a light recovery session on Friday, with the emphasis firmly on damage assessment rather than tactical detail. Several key men finished the European tie with knocks, and the clock is already ticking towards the Premiership clash.

“The players are just a bit of a warm-down today, the lads who played most of the game, so we’ll see how they are,” O’Neill said, outlining a day geared around recovery rather than reaction. “There’s one or two lads who came off; we’ll have a look to see how they are tomorrow.”

The message was clear: no guarantees, no certainties, just a waiting game with the medical staff in charge of the next team sheet. Those who logged the heaviest minutes on Thursday were restricted to gentle work while club doctors and physios monitored every grimace and twinge, ready to flag up any issue that might rule a player out of the derby.

O’Neill admitted there were concerns over “one or two” who had to leave the pitch before the final whistle, adding another layer of anxiety to an already tense build-up. Celtic have no luxury of time. A draining European night has been followed by a rapid turnaround into the most emotionally charged fixture on their calendar.

Upcoming Fixture

Sunday’s meeting at Celtic Park is the second Old Firm derby of the season and arrives with the champions under pressure to respond. Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 last weekend, a result that has sharpened the edge of this rematch and left O’Neill with even less margin for error in his selection.

Every scan, every fitness test over the next 48 hours will feed directly into the starting XI. Celtic need a reaction. First, they need enough bodies fit to deliver it.