Celtic dealt with defender injury concern ahead of season opener v Hearts
By Danny Wright
Erik Sviatchenko has confirmed that he is set to have a scan on an injury that forced him off the pitch in Celtic’s 1-0 victory at Rosenborg on Wednesday night.
With Dedyrck Boyata currently out of action with a knee injury, Nir Bitton was forced to play out of position when he came off the bench to replace Sviatchenko in the 25th minute after he limped off.
The 25-year-old Danish centre-back had only just returned to action for the Norway showdown following a spell on the sidelines with a groin injury.
He missed the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against Rosenborg after failing a fitness test and was replaced by teenager Kristoffer Ajer.
However Celtic will now be sweating over the fitness of Sviatchenko ahead of their Scottish Premiership opener against Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday, with Jozo Simunovic the only fit first-team centre-back currently on hand.
“Hoping and praying for the result of the scan will be positive. Proud of the boys and the team,” said the defender on his personal Twitter account on Thursday morning.
Sviatchenko was one of the key defenders in Brendan Rodgers’ side last season as they lifted the Scottish Premiership title without a single defeat.
There’s no doubt that the Hoops will want to hit the ground running against Hearts this weekend in order to get their title defence off to a good start.
In other Celtic news, Rodgers has hailed the performance of Bitton against Rosenborg.
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