Celtic tease Old Firm derby return as attacker poised to make timely injury comeback against Rangers

Celtic's social media team have dropped a major hint that Liel Abada could be included in the matchday squad to face Rangers as he prepares to make a long-awaited comeback from injury.

The Israeli winger, who has been sidelined since mid-September with a thigh problem, is poised to join midfielder Reo Hatate by being in contention to feature in Saturday's Old Firm showdown at Parkhead.

Both players trained fully with their team mates at Lennoxtown on Friday and are now eyeing a dramatic return to competitive action earlier than anticipated. It was feared the pair wouldn't pull on a green and white jersey again until the New Year, but Hatate and Abada were ahead of scheduled in their respective rehabilitation programmes and are now expected to be involved in some capacity this weekend.

Speaking on Boxing Day following the 3-0 Premiership win over Dundee, Rodgers hinted that he might be willing to give Hatate and Abada some minutes on the pitch as substitutes. He said: "They could be around it. It's one thing being ready to start, of course.

"Liel looked really good on the field when he trained. We kept him at home to do another session to build him up. We've missed his running, his goals. He'll be brilliant for us for the second part of the season.

"Reo is at a good level, but not a level to start. We'll see how he goes over these next few days. He's training hard, working well and it will be like having two new players when we get those two back."

Following Rodgers' press conference on Friday afternoon to preview the match against Rangers, Celtic's social media admin team took the opportunity to drop a significant clue that Abada is likely to be given some game time.

They have re-posted a video montage of some of 22-year-old's most important goals for the Hoops after he signed a new contract until 2027 earlier this season, with the caption 'Guess who's back..." accompanied by the shifty eyes emoji.