Celtic striker Moussa Dembele will miss the UEFA Champions League tie against AEK Athens, with Brendan Rodgers confirming that he is out injured for another two to three weeks.
The Hoops forward was always a doubt after limping off against Alashkert with a hamstring strain, but it appears the injury is worse than first thought, with the player now out for longer than anticipated.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the Celtic boss said: “The medical guys are telling me it is probably going to be another two to three weeks, a bit longer than we had anticipated. It’s a blow, but that is the way it is.”
Dembele had been looking in lethal form in pre-season, linking up with compatriot Odsonne Edouard to give the Hoops an attacking force that would be a match for many teams at home and abroad.
Luckily Edouard continues to look sharp himself and hopefully steps are now being taken to protect him ahead of the first leg against the Greek champions next week.
While Leigh Griffiths has returned to first team training, his match fitness won’t quite be there yet and we can’t risk anything happening to the Frenchman given the important of the qualifying double header.
Can Celtic cope without Moussa Dembele against AEK Athens? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…