Two key players set to miss Celtic v Newcastle United amid Anthony Elanga debut hope
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Newcastle United’s pre-season campaign properly gets underway tomorrow when they face Celtic in Glasgow.
The Magpies travel north of the border to face a Celtic side which they could be drawn against in next season’s Champions League. Tomorrow’s game marks Newcastle’s first game of pre-season in front of fans, with 10,000 expected to travel to Glasgow from the north east.
Celtic, meanwhile, have just two weeks to go until their league season gets underway, with tomorrow’s clash against Eddie Howe’s side their penultimate game of pre-season. The Hoops defeated Sporting CP in Portugal earlier this week and will prove stern opponents for Newcastle United.
Both Howe and Brendan Rodgers, though, will be without a couple of key players for tomorrow’s game, however, they will have the vast majority of their squads available to select from. There could also be home debuts for summer signings Benjamin Nygren, Hayato Inamura and Callum Osmand whilst Anthony Elanga could make his first appearance as a Magpies player.
Here, we take a look at all the latest injury news from both camps ahead of Celtic v Newcastle United:
Celtic injury news
Jota - out
Jota suffered a serious knee injury in April and is not expected to return until next year. Speaking about the Portuguese star last week, Rodgers said: "He's coming along really well.
“We sent him to Portugal to assess his fitness here and be with his family. And yes, the progress has come along really well.
“I think the first 12 weeks of that injury, it's important that you get to a point where you're able to straighten it. He can do that.
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“He has been in the gym. He’s got a long, long way to go. It's going to be into next year.”
Adam Idah - doubt
The former Norwich City man was forced off at half-time of Celtic’s clash with Sporting CP earlier this week. The striker is a doubt for tomorrow’s game, although the Hoops are hopeful of having him in contention to feature.
Newcastle United injury news
Lewis Hall - out
Hall is continuing his recovery from a foot injury, one that sidelined him during the last few months of last season. Whilst the clash against Celtic comes too soon for him, the Hall is targeting a return to action before the end of pre-season.
“With any injury, especially a long-term one, it's so up in the air," Hall told newcastleunited.com last month. “Some people can come back quicker, some people take a bit longer. It all depends on how everything goes.
“For me, my aim is to be fit and ready to go for the first game of the season, but to do that, I'd like to have a few pre-season games as well beforehand.”
Elsewhere, a whole host of Newcastle United players have been back in pre-season training for just one week. Those players, the majority of whom were on international duty this summer, are expected to feature against Celtic, but may have their minutes limited.
Elanga could make his first appearance in a black-and-white shirt. The club confirmed on Friday morning that the Swedish international will wear the number 20 shirt this season.