After a whirlwind 48 hours at Celtic Park, Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney will lead Celtic into Wednesday night’s Premiership clash with Falkirk, the first match since Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation.
It’s been a chaotic start to the week for the champions, with Dermot Desmond’s explosive statement, a major backroom reshuffle and the return of O’Neill grabbing headlines.
But the focus now shifts back to the pitch, where Celtic are desperate to end a run of back-to-back league defeats.
Maloney, who took charge of training on Tuesday morning before joining O’Neill for the pre-match press conference, offered a small boost on the fitness front.
He confirmed that Daizen Maeda could make a return to the matchday squad.
“Daizen is in the squad and Martin will make the call on him on Wednesday,” Maloney said to Celtic TV. “He’s fit enough to be in the squad, but I don’t know if he’s fit enough to be involved yet. It’s whether he makes the bench or not — we aren’t sure yet.”
Maeda has missed recent games with a hamstring issue, and his potential return would be a welcome boost for a Celtic side badly short of attacking options.
Falkirk, meanwhile, arrive in Glasgow full of confidence after a strong run of form and will be hoping to take advantage of Celtic’s off-field turbulence and recent on-pitch struggles.
All eyes will be on O’Neill and Maloney as they look to steady the ship and deliver an immediate response under the Celtic Park lights.
