Credit: Imago

Jack Dawson

Fri 13 March 2026 7:30, UK

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Finland boss Jacob Friis has announced his desire to include Celtic star Viljami Sinisalo in their FIFA Series squad, despite the goalkeeper being unlikely to receive any minutes.

The 24-year-old has established himself as the Hoops’ number one in recent weeks after Kasper Schmeichel’s rapid decline in form.

Here, the Finland international has impressed, and it is no surprise that he was included in his nation’s squad for their upcoming friendlies against Cape Verde and New Zealand.

However, with these games set to be both played in Auckland, New Zealand, and the manager announcing that Lukas Hradecky will be the keeper for these games, O’Neill will be far from happy ahead of a crucial Celtic period.

Jacob Friis: Lukas Hradecky will play in New Zealand over Viljami Sinisalo

For the Finland National Team, Hradecky has long been the number one, with the Monaco keeper being the captain of his country.

However, with Sinisalo impressing in recent weeks, and Hradecky being injured recently, the Celtic star would have hoped to be given the nod for the upcoming FIFA Series.

Yet, Friis has now confirmed via the Daily Record on 12 March that Sinisalo will remain as the understudy for these games.

He said: “We have a real luxury in terms of our goalkeeping position now. Viljami Sinisalo took his chance and he is now Celtic’s number one keeper. But the plan has always been for me that if our captain Lukas Hradecky is back fit and playing again, he will be our keeper in New Zealand.

“No clubs have contacted us about pulling their players out because of the length of the journey, although I must admit I was expecting that. Maybe managers will think it’s a long way, but clubs also cannot prevent their players from joining the national team. Of course it is a challenge, but we can do something to mitigate the effects of the journey.

“We have contacted Finnish coaches working in the F1 series. They always travel between different travel zones. We received very good advice on dealing with jet lag. We are not the first to do this in sports and we certainly won’t be the last.”

This save helped win us the game today.

Sinisalo 🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/DLk6t7AYjb

— ジェームズ ⚡️ (@MaedaMealOfThat) March 4, 2026

Given this news, O’Neill will not be happy. The goalkeeping situation has cost Celtic multiple times this season, and is arguably the reason they sit second in the Scottish Premiership and are out of the Europa League.

Now, after seemingly getting it sorted, Sinisalo will travel half the way around the world in late March to not even play.

This risks the goalkeeper being exhausted in what will be a crucial period for Celtic after the international break as they push for the title, which could cause a fresh headache for the manager.

However, it remains to be seen if Friis sticks by this plan or gives Sinisalo some minutes in New Zealand.

What is the plan for the Celtic number one spot?

Football Insider exclusively revealed that Celtic may not target a new goalkeeper, given the form of Sinisalo.

Previously, it looked likely that the Hoops would be after a new number one in the summer, given Schmeichel’s form.

However, while the Dane still looks set to depart at the end of the season when his contract expires, Sinisalo could keep his place in the starting XI.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if the Finland international can keep up this run of form between now and the end of the season.