Celtic face anxious wait after Kasper Schmeichel suffers shoulder injury during international duty

Celtic are facing an anxious wait to learn the extent of a shoulder injury sustained by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel on international duty.

The 38-year-old was hurt in extra time of Denmark’s Nations League quarter-final defeat by Portugal on Sunday night, but played on in clear discomfort as his side had used all their substitutes.

Reports in Denmark on Monday morning suggested Schmeichel was wearing a sling as the team prepared to fly out of Lisbon Airport.

Danish head coach Brian Riemer admitted after his side’s 5-3 aggregate defeat at the Jose Alvalade Stadium that the former Leicester keeper would have been taken off if they had the option of sending on a replacement.

Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s defeat to Portugal (Armando Franca/AP) PA Media

“If it had been possible, I would have replaced Kasper Schmeichel when he was injured, but we had already used all our substitutes,” he said. “We talked about taking Kasper off, but he didn’t want to go off himself.

“As long as he could stand in goal, it was an advantage for us to have 11 players on the field. The alternative would have been to have only nine outfield players if we had to send a player off.”

Schmeichel has started 46 of Celtic’s 47 competitive matches this season, with the Scottish Cup fifth-round victory over Raith Rovers last month the only one in which he has not featured.

Kasper Schmeichel has played all bar one of Celtic’s games this term (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Media

Viljami Sinisalo, who joined from Aston Villa last summer, deputised that day and the 23-year-old Finn will be on standby in the event that Schmeichel does not recover in time for Saturday’s William Hill Premiership visit from Hearts.

Celtic – 13 points clear at the top – have eight league games remaining as well as a Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone at Hampden next month as they bid to close out a domestic treble.

Prior to his injury, Schmeichel saved a first-half penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo but it was not enough to prevent Denmark losing the tie and, as a result, landing in Scotland’s 2026 World Cup qualification group later this year, alongside Greece and Belarus.