The news that Shunsuke Nakamura has practically no chance of making tonight’s Champions League rematch with Benfica and Gordon Strachan is adamant that it doesn’t affect his thinking one iota.
He said: "Naka’s not looking good.
"We’re fortunate though. It’s not like Naka’s been carrying the team with his sensational ability. He’s been playing all right this year but there are other players in there who have done very well.
"It would be a panic if I had one player playing exceptionally well and the rest poorly. We have a lot of forward thinking players playing well. A lot of them are back fit again so it’s not such a concern.
"We’d like him to be fit, but if it’s not to be then we’ve got enough forwards to give the other team a problem."
With both Celtic and Benfica footing the bottom of the group both teams will be looking for 3 points in what is a must win game for Celtic. If we can win the game without conceding then we will have a real advantage over Benfica going into the nesxt stage of games in matchday 5. Winning tonight by more than a single goal will gain us the upper hand should Celtic and Benfica be tied on points at the end of the group stage.
Strachan has played down the importance of this match by saying "I don’t know if the result will be crucial.
"It’s possible to qualify on seven points and not definitely qualify on 10. If we get a draw tomorrow then win our next two games we’ve got a chance of going through.
So it looks as if Celtic will go into tonight’s match with the same 11 players that defeated Kilmarnock on Saturday, a performance which although nervy in part was resolute. Celtic in recent weeks (with the exception of Ibrox) buoyed by the form of McDonald and McGeady have looked congruent and have been clinical in their quest for points. The midfield has looked more balanced than ever this season and in Scott McDonald we finally have a striker that we can rely on for goals, which is not something we have enjoyed with many of Strachan’s signings.
The loss of Shunsuke to the squad is a big one, especially since the player looked in sparkling form at times but I feel Naka needs time to recover from this injury and I would rather that Strachan stuck with the players that have served him well in recent games. Let us remember that with his World Cup and Kirin Cup duties plus all of the travel time associated with this Nakamura has not had a reasonable break since he signed from Italy.
If there was one player who deserves the time to rest up and heal it is Naka.
The only other debatable inclusion will be who partners Skippy up front. I for one would say that Chris Killen has possibly contributed more in his last two games than JVOH, but will Strachan opt for European experience and big match performers?
So if whether you are off to the game or watching in the pub/at home, make sure you give the Bhoys a massive cheer and lead them onto victory
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt