It’s been an especially long international break for Celtic supporters, having seen their side beaten 3-2 by fierce rivals Rangers in the Old Firm derby a fortnight ago, the visitors’ winner coming right at the end.
Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers’ side remain 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership with only eight fixtures still to play, while they’re also on course for a sixth treble in nine seasons, set to face St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semis on Easter Sunday.
Before then, Heart of Midlothian visit Parkhead on Saturday, with Rodgers expected to make numerous changes to his lineup, including unleashing a highly-rated but less-spotted youngster.
The latest on Paulo Bernardo's fitness
Midfielder Paulo Bernardo has not been seen since 8 February, sitting out eight matches due to an ankle injury suffered against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.
Before then, the Portuguese U21 international had featured in 36 of Celtic’s 39 fixtures this season, underlining his importance, and he cannot wait to be back.
Speaking during a pre-Hearts press conference, Bernardo said “I can play football again, so I’m really excited”, adding “the injury was bad, but I recovered very well”.
While the midfielder himself admits he’s unlikely to be able to complete 90 minutes, given that Rodgers labeled him “important” and a “quality player”, he’s highly likely to see some playing time.
However, he’s not the only 23-year-old hoping to come into Saturday’s starting lineup, with a forgotten summer signing also poised for a rare run-out.
Celtic's forgotten man could start vs Hearts
During last Sunday’s Nations League quarter-final between Denmark and Portugal at Estádio José Alvalade, Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel suffered a shoulder injury.
Denmark manager Brian Riemer told Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet he expects Schmeichel to be sidelined “for the foreseeable future”, adding “he will not play this weekend”.
This is a major blow because, as noted by Matthew Campbell, Schmeichel has been ‘outstanding’ since arriving from Anderlecht last summer, so much so that he’s been rewarded with a new contract, despite the fact he’s now 38 years old.
In his absence, Viljami Sinisalo will be donning the gloves against Hearts, making just his second appearance for the club, having debuted against Raith in the Scottish Cup last month.
The Finnish international arrived from Aston Villa for a reported fee of £1m last summer, with Rodgers describing him as “a keeper with real qualities”.
Meanwhile, Scotland international midfielder John McGinn, Sinisalo’s former teammate at Villa, believes he is “different class”, adding “he was a big lad but agile… he really made an impression”.
So let’s assess his career so far.
FC Espoo
1
Zero
4
Aston Villa
Zero
Zero
Zero
Ayr United
29
9
39
Burton Albion
8
2
14
Exeter City
50
14
66
Celtic
1
1
Zero
Finland
3
Zero
4
Of course, Celtic supporters have barely got to see anything of Sinisalo so far, although his statistics are encouraging.
While on loan at Exeter last season, he ranked fifth for saves and 12th for save percentage in EFL League One, impressive statistics considering Gary Caldwell’s Grecians finished 13th.
Thus, if nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see how he performs against Hearts on Saturday, desperate to stake a claim while Schmeichel is sidelined.
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