Celtic star rates team-mates' chances of being fit for Rangers clash as he gives encouraging verdict over duo

Celtic are set to welcome back Aaron Mooy for this weekend's Premiership clash with Rangers – but there are doubts over two colleagues.

According to the Scottish Sun, Reo Hatate and Greg Taylor have not trained this week ahead of the Celtic Park fixture. The Japanese midfield maestro picked up an injury in the win over Hibs before the international break, while Taylor, who didn’t join up with the Scotland national team, was replaced after 65 minutes in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Ross County.

Celtic captain McGregor noted the impact Alexandro Bernabei had when replacing Taylor, scoring to secure the three points, while he revealed that due to the nature of the fixture players can find that bit extra to play.

“Maybe,” he said of Hatate’s chances of making the match, “He’s been touch and go all week. The fixture is a bit different and sometimes you can get through the pain barrier if you can. But if there’s an issue you don’t want to be taking crazy risks, as there’s a good bit of the season to go as well. You have to find the balance. You get the adrenaline in these big games of consequence. You feel on top of the world and it’s only after the game you start to think ‘oh that’s sore’.

“This is why the boss wants a strong squad. When things like this happen, guys come into the team and we don’t notice a drop off in quality or intensity. That’s why we have carried a big squad. The guys have been working hard and the manager has been big on players taking their chance when they get it. When someone is out, it’s an opportunity for someone else. You saw it last weekend when Alexandro Bernabei scored from the bench. We have had really high numbers with players coming on and impacting games.”

Celtic can take a huge step towards retaining the Premiership title won last year with a win over rivals Rangers. They would extend their lead to 12 points with just 21 points to play for. Finishing top will ensure direct qualification to the Champions League group stages.