McGregor and Bernardo return but Schmeichel’s absence is ominous

The Celtic Star

·28 March 2025

McGregor and Bernardo return but Schmeichel’s absence is ominous

Callum McGregor and Paulo Bernardo return, Viljami Sinisalo gets the gloves as Kasper Schmeichel set for a spell on the sidelines with a shoulder injury picked up in Portugal…

Callum McGregor during the UEFA Champions League Training Session at Lennoxtown on February 11, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Welcome back Callum

Great news from the footage shown on Sky Sports today from Lennoxtown is that the Celtic captain Callum McGregor has been training and therefore is more than likely to be ready for a return to the Celtic starting XI tomorrow afternoon of the Scottish Premiership match against Hearts.

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To say that Calmac was missed in the 3-2 defeat against theRangers a fortnight ago would be an understatement and having the skipper fit again and ready for the final push in our title pursuit is brilliant news.

❌ Kasper Schmeichel ✅ Callum McGregor Who is in and who is out as Celtic train ahead of their Scottish Premiership return against Hearts 🔽
– Friday, 28 March 2025

Best of luck to Viljami Sinisalo

Sinisalo will make his Scottish Premiership debut tomorrow against Hearts. As expected there was no sign of Kasper Schmeichel at Lennoxtown and his international boss has already confirmed he will be out injured, maybe for the rest of the season. Get well soon Kasper.

01 10 2024, UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund v Celtic, Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo Celtic PHOTO DE: Dennis Ewert/RHR

Sinisalo played in the Scottish Cup match against Raith Rovers at Celtic Park but maybe Brendan Rodgers will be thinking he should have been included in the squad rotation policy rather than giving Kasper every single game bar one? The chances of an injury were always there and now it’s up to the Finland international to step and show us all why Celtic brought him to the club last summer. Pretty sure he’ll be a steady pair of hands in Kasper’s absence..

Paulo Bernardo of Celtic is seen during the UEFA Champions League training on January 28, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Welcome back Paulo

Our Portuguese midfielder will have a big part to play in the coming weeks, that’s for sure.

Paulo Bernardo yesterday announced he’s back and raring to go after being sidelined through injury since limping off in that Scottish cup win over Raith Rovers in early February, which I mentioned earlier.

Paulo at Paradise Pit-Stop

Bernardo’s return is a big boost for us as we enter the business end of the season as the Portuguese under 21 player is an extremely talented player who brings strength and depth to our midfield, which was short in numbers in our last game with Paulo and Calmac missing.

I’d sure we’d have fared better against theRangers had we had a Paulo and Callum McGregor available, as it was an area we were clearly outfought in on the day. That’s gone though and it’s now all about what’s ahead starting with Hearts where I’d expect both to feature, maybe Paulo coming off the bench but the skipper will start.

Paulo Bernardo with Jota. Motherwell v Celtic, 2nd February 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou

Paulo has shown in his time at the club that he’s a valuable asset to have. He has all the attributes of a top midfielder, and he’s more than proven his worth in the big games.

He will give us a great much needed extra option in the middle of the park in the coming weeks as we aim to win a clean sweep of honours. Welcome back Paulo, you’ve been missed these past six weeks.

❌ Kasper Schmeichel ✅ Callum McGregor Who is in and who is out as Celtic train ahead of their Scottish Premiership return against Hearts 🔽
– Friday, 28 March 2025

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McGregor and Bernardo return but Schmeichel’s absence is ominous | OneFootball