With injury worries over Bruno Alves and Declan John following the midweek League Cup clash against Partick Thistle, Pedro Caixinha has confirmed late fitness tests will be held for both before he makes any final decisions about the starting line up for the Celtic clash this weekend.
With both players going off with less than 20 minutes remaining in the game, Caixinha told the Official Site as he met with the media for his pre game press conference that if needed though, he had no concerns about throwing in 19 year old Ross McCrorie given his performance when he came on in the last match.
‘We are assessing them and we are waiting for those assessments, and to know the way they feel. If they are 100 per-cent, we are counting on them. I have no problems at all to start with 11 players – no matter who the players are. I have total confidence in all the players – even if those players are young players. They are young players, but they are here with us, and I don`t look at the name and even less I don`t look at the age – I just look at the quality they have and it will be an honour for them to defend this shirt and this club.’
As fans will be aware, one player already ruled out of the game is skipper Lee Wallace after he limped out of last week’s league meeting with Partick.
Wallace could be out until November and Danny Wilson is also struggling with a calf strain and is unlikely to make the match day XI on Saturday.
Caixinha explained.
‘Lee needs to have a rest for three weeks and to do nothing at all. After that, he needs to recover for another three to five weeks more, so we are talking about six to eight weeks.’
As for Wilson.
‘No, I don`t think so. He is still not with the team today, so probably he will not be with the team tomorrow either. He still needs to recover from something he felt on his calf.’
