Celtic have several players on international duty who will soon return to play their part in our ongoing fight for a domestic double.
Evaluating our players representing their respective nations, Alistair Johnston has probably enjoyed the most notable time after his contribution to Canada’s Copa America qualification.
The 25-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Les Rouges saw off Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in the final round of CONCACAF Nations League qualifying tobook their place at the tournament for the very first time.
In other news, Daizen Maeda played through the middle for Japan in their 1-0 victory over North Korea last week; however, their return fixture scheduled for yesterday was cancelled due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’ after concerns over hosting the tie in Pyongyang.
Tonight, Scotland take on Northern Ireland at Hampden in a match that could offer Celtic pair Anthony Ralston and Greg Taylor some meaningful game time.
Over in Dublin, the Republic of Ireland host Switzerland, which would grant striker Adam Idah and on-loan Bhoy Mikey Johnston a further chance to impress John O’Shea at the Aviva Stadium following their draw against Belgium last Saturday.
Celtic defender Anthony Ralston praises Scotland teammate
Scotland were on the end of a frustrating 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands last week, where Ralston came off the bench for the final 16 minutes of the friendly clash in Amsterdam.
Heart of Midlothian striker Lawrence Shankland missed a golden opportunity to level the scoring; however, the right-back quickly offered some comforting words of encouragement to his international teammate.
Ralston stated [BBC Sport]: “He is a top-quality striker, he’ll be disappointed; I think it took a slight bobble,” he then added. “He finishes those all the time, but he did well, and he should be proud of himself.”
It is a well-known fact that the Scotland national side are a close-knit group, and it is encouraging to see Ralston being a valued member of the squad, given that he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.
The 25-year-old has made 16 appearances for Celtic this campaign, registering one assist, and has rarely been called into question, showing an elevated level of professionalism for both club and country [Transfermarkt].
Between now and the end of the season, Ralston could well have his part to play as Celtic aim to bring two pieces of silverware to Parkhead.