Celtic are waiting to discover the extent of Kieran Tierney’s foot injury after the defender was forced off during Wednesday night’s win over Aberdeen.
The Scotland international had already made his mark on the match before leaving the pitch. Tierney scored the opening goal in Celtic’s 2–1 victory at Pittodrie, getting forward from left-back to give the Hoops an early lead.
His evening ended shortly after the hour mark. During the second half, Tierney went down after a challenge involving Aberdeen forward Toyosi Olusanya. The defender was unable to continue and had to be replaced, with Marcelo Saracchi coming on in his place.
Journalist Stephen McGowan reports that Celtic will carry out further checks to determine the severity of the problem. The club’s medical staff are now assessing the injury as they wait to learn whether the full-back will be available for the weekend.
The timing is far from ideal. Celtic travel to Ibrox on Sunday for a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Rangers, a match that carries real weight with a place in the semi-final at stake.
Defensive options are already limited. Cameron Carter-Vickers remains unavailable, while Alistair Johnston has also been missing in recent months. Dane Murray is out, leaving the squad light across the back line.
Tierney’s return to the side has helped settle that area of the pitch. From left-back he offers more than just defending, often pushing forward to support attacks and give the team width when they move the ball through midfield.
Against Aberdeen he showed that side of his game again with the run that led to his goal. Losing him, even temporarily, would leave Celtic adjusting again in defence before one of the most demanding fixtures left in the season.
Saracchi is the obvious replacement if Tierney cannot recover in time. For now Celtic must wait for the medical update while preparing for Sunday’s trip across the city.
terrible tackle red card