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Celtic: Ange Postecoglou shares Anthony Ralston injury update
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped an update surrounding the fitness of Anthony Ralston ahead of the Hoops’ Premiership clash against Hibernian tonight.
The Lowdown: Ralston injury blow
The Hoops were without the 24-year-old during their 4-1 win over St. Johnstone at the weekend after he was forced off in the second half of the 2-1 victory against Livingston three days previously, having picking up a knock to his ankle.
This ended up not being a problem for the Bhoys as Reo Hatate scored two of Celtic’s four goals on Saturday whilst filling in for Ralston at right-back.
As the Glasgow giants prepare to take on Hibernian at Easter Road, Postecoglou has shared some behind-the-scenes details regarding the defender’s recovery.
The Latest: Postecoglou’s update on Ralston
Speaking on Tuesday ahead of tonight’s clash, Postecoglou shared an update on Ralston’s fitness and the likelihood of him being able to play against Hibs.
The Celtic manager said of the 24-year-old (via Glasgow Times): “We will see. There was improvement yesterday and there was improvement today. We obviously have an extra day’s break for this game, so we will assess it as we go along.”
The Verdict: Encouraging for Celtic
While this is undoubtedly an encouraging update from Postecoglou, Celtic’s previous match – and Hatate’s goalscoring performance in particular – showed that they didn’t miss Ralston all that much.
This could suggest that the Hoops may not need to rush him back into action tonight and risk him incurring further damage which could keep him on the sidelines for longer.
Would you want to see Ralston start against Hibernian?
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No
However, with Ralston having the joint-highest average of tackles per game (1.6) at Celtic in the league this season, this would make him a useful player to recall against Hibernian, especially as they have the third-most shots at goal in the Scottish top flight this season (309).
With tonight’s game in mind, Postecoglou should not consider starting the Scottish right-back unless he is 100% fit enough to play.
