Celtic winger Jota misses training ahead of Champions League clash with RB Leipzig

Celtic are sweating over the fitness of Portuguese winger Jota as they prepare to meet RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Celtic star missed training on Monday and manager Ange Postecoglou said that the player was “sore” and a decision about his availability would be taken on the day of the game.

Jota was substituted at half time during his side’s 2-1 win at St Johnstone on Sunday, though it was said at the time that this was to rest the player as Celtic negotiate a heavy schedule of games. However, it now transpires that the player has a muscle injury that could see him miss a crucial game for his club.

Postecoglou said: “We’ll just wait and see. He’s still a bit sore from the weekend and we’ll make a decision tomorrow.

“All the players are important in different ways.

“With the short turnaround it’s not unusual for someone not to be right the day before a game when we’ve got such a quick turnaround.

“It’s just a matter of whether he’s right or not. If he’s right we’ll play him and if not then he’ll miss out.”

The Celtic boss did have some good news regarding his squad, as David Turnbull and Moritz Jenz are both available after illness.

Celtic go into the game having taken one point from their opening three group games against Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Leipzig. After losing 3-1 to the German side last midweek, the Scottish champions need a positive result from Tuesday’s match to keep alive any realistic chance of progressing in the competition.

More to follow…