Celtic vs St Mirren injury news: 10 outs and 2 doubts as Hoops mainstay nears return from treatment room
The latest injury news ahead of Celtic’s last fixture before the Premiership split against St Mirren at home
Celtic will look to head into the split with some momentum on Saturday as they take on Craig McLeish’s St Mirren at Parkhead.
Martin O’Neill’s side defeated Dundee at Dens Park in their last outing to break their Tayside curse and are now hoping to build on that victory this weekend. They currently sit three points adrift of Premiership leaders Hearts and two behind Rangers in the standings, as the league nears its gripping finale. As for the visitors, with two wins from their last two against Falkirk and Aberdeen respectively, they’ve built a bit of momentum themselves under their interim boss. They currently sit three points ahead of Kilmarnock in 11th place, as they strive to distance themselves from the relegation dogfight.
Kelechi Iheanacho has had his problems with injuries this season but was the hero last weekend when he grabbed the winner from the bench. In recent weeks, O’Neill has hinted several other Hoops stars are also expected to return in the near future. Here, GlasgowWorld compiles a list of the latest outs and doubts for Celtic vs St Mirren ahead of Saturday’s showdown:
Arne Engels (Celtic) - DOUBT
The Belgian midfielder, who O’Neill rejected a £25m bid for in January, has been out since February after picking up a thigh issue but is back in training and could make his return at the weekend.
Colby Donovan (Celtic) - DOUBT
The fullback has been in the wars of late having came off injured in both of Celtic’s previous fixtures. He is currently awaiting the results of a scan and is unlikely to feature against The Buddies.
Julian Araujo (Celtic) - OUT
Also nursing a thigh problem, there were rumours his season was over but O’Neill confirmed he will still have a part to play. That being said, St Mirren will come too soon.
Marcus Fraser (St Mirren) - OUT
Picked up a shoulder injury in their Scottish Cup quarter final victory over Partick Thistle and has been sidelined ever since. Won’t feature against his former club on Saturday.
Alistair Johnston (Celtic) - OUT
Canadian right-back's season has been wrecked by two serious hamstring injuries, the second of which required surgery. Unavailable for St Mirren but expected to return later this month.
Keanu Baccus (St Mirren) - OUT
Australia international is out for the remainder of the season with an achilles tendon issue, also ruling him out of selection for the Socceroos ahead of the World Cup.
Kasper Schmeichel (Celtic) - OUT
The veteran stopper will play no further part in Celtic’s season due to a shoulder issue, which may force him to hang up his gloves completely at the end of the season.
Callum Osmand (Celtic) - OUT
The Welshman is closing in on a return from a hamstring injury he picked up against FC Midtjylland in November which required surgery. However, reportedly, he’s still out for the weekend.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic) - OUT
Central defender is not expected to play again this term after rupturing his Achilles against Sturm Graz in the Europa League earlier this season.
Malik Dijksteel (St Mirren) - OUT
The Dutch winger is expected to miss the rest of the season after picking up a groin issue against Airdrieonians in February.
Jota (Celtic) - OUT
Portuguese playmaker won't be available this season after suffering a setback in his efforts to return from an ACL injury picked up last April.
Adam Montgomery (Celtic) - OUT
His loan agreement with Livingston was terminated in January following a calf injury, which the young fullback is yet to recover from.