Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has provided a timely update on captain Callum McGregor and Kasper Høgh’s absences against Falkirk at Celtic Park this afternoon.

Høgh’s absence drew particular attention, having been selected to speak to the media at Lennoxtown on Friday, when he confirmed that the discomfort he felt against LASK was simply tiredness.

McGregor, on the other hand, had been dealing with a stomach bug, with O’Neill speaking about the issue on Friday.

The Irishman revealed before today’s match why both players were missing against Falkirk, while also discussing his decision to hand Haissem Hassan a start.

He said: (BBC Sport Scotland), “We’ve got seven games coming up in the next 22 days and it’s about managing the injury [Kasper] has. We’ll take it day by day. Callum [McGregor] is ill and Kasper [Hogh] is injured.

“[Haissem Hassan] has come in late to the fray. A lot of players who played at the World Cup are trying to make adjustments and coming in at the end of pre-season. It would have been nice if he was absolutely up to speed, but he starts the game.

“It was a devastating blow [on Tuesday] considering the position we were in. It has happened. We can’t do anything about it now. This football club, there’s times where a crisis seems to appear from nowhere.

“Maybe we might not have been equipped to have played in the Champions League. That aside, let’s go out there, try to play and try to win the game. This will be difficult. John [McGlynn] is a fine manager. For us, just go and play – throw the shackles off.”

Høgh’s injury is clearly the bigger concern of the two, particularly after he suggested on Friday that there were no fitness issues following the game in Austria.

McGregor is likely to return to training once he recovers from the illness, with Aberdeen visiting Celtic Park on Wednesday in the Scottish Premiership.

Camilo Durán certainly impressed up front against Falkirk, scoring twice, but having Høgh available alongside the Colombian would give O’Neill far greater depth in attack. The sooner Celtic’s record signing is back available, the better.

McGregor will also be doing everything he can to return to training as quickly as possible. Put simply, the Celtic captain does not miss games unless he absolutely has to.

A 2-1 win over Falkirk without the pair was a respectable result, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Haissem Hassan both impressing after coming into the side.

The Englishman kept things simple and controlled much of the midfield, while Hassan caused Falkirk constant problems with his ability to go down the outside and deliver into the box despite being a left-footed right winger.