Celtic face St Johnstone tomorrow in their final match of 2024 and Brendan Rodgers will be motivated to end the year on a high at Parkhead.
‘Unbalanced’ – St Johnstone frustrated as his side travel to face Celtic at Parkhead
Celtic face St Johnstone tomorrow in their final match of 2024 and Brendan Rodgers will be motivated to end the year on a high at Parkhead.
Last time out, the Bhoys saw off Motherwell 4-0 to extend their lead at the Scottish Premiership summit to 12 points after Rangers and Aberdeen faltered on Boxing Day.
Home soil has been a sanctuary for Celtic across the year, and they have the opportunity to record an entire 12 months unbeaten domestically and in the Champions League by avoiding defeat against St Johnstone tomorrow afternoon.
Ahead of both sides going head to head in the east end of Glasgow, the visitors’ boss has shared his frustration at the Saints’ current predicament.
Simo Valakari shares frustration ahead of Celtic clash
Speaking to The Courier, Valakari has revealed he feels ‘sorry’ for some of his players after asking them to play unfamiliar roles to compensate for injuries that have struck his side in recent weeks.
He stated: “We don’t have that. We have put ourselves in this situation and we need to get ourselves out of it.”
Later, he added: “Sometimes I feel sorry for certain players because I’m asking them to do things they’re not comfortable with.
“We have good players but the squad is unbalanced. We have a lot of players for some positions and not many for others.”
Injury news ahead of Celtic vs St Johnstone
Nicolas Kuhn is fit for Celtic to face St Johnstone after coming off the bench to score a deflected strike against Motherwell on Boxing Day.
His right-sided partner in crime Alistair Johnston may also be available against the Saints as Rodgers confirmed he was nearing a return to contention. Auston Trusty has recovered from a bug and was on the bench on Thursday.
The visitors will be without Barry Douglas, Uche Ikpeazu and Sam McLelland. Cammy MacPherson is a doubt for the clash.