Celtic's Europa League hopes of returning could be dealt a blow, with VfB Stuttgart set to welcome back star Angelo Stiller.
This is according to BILD. The German newspaper today gives a positive update on the 24-year-old's injury, at least from a German perspective.
Celtic head to Stuttgart on Thursday looking to reverse their 4-1 defeat last week. The German side dominated at Celtic Park in the first leg, with a clinical performance amid protests from the Celtic fans.
Why Celtic won't find it easy
Sports witnesses have already covered their mindset before the second leg. head coach Sebastian Hoenes promises That they would be "prepared accordingly" despite their innate advantage.
One possible complication was Stiller's injury. There were fears that he might have suffered a serious injury during the match played in Heidenheim on Sunday evening. But, an MRI scan on Monday evening confirmed that there was no problem.
In fact, it's even possible that Stiller could return to the team for the second leg against Celtic on Thursday. However, the midfielder was not on the field for Tuesday's training session.
Instead he completed an individual session. At this point, the assumption is that Hoehn would likely prefer to rest Stiller against Celtic. They have captain Atakan Karazor to replace Stiller in the interim.
facing celtic history
But still, having the 24-year-old available would be a big boost. And Celtic's hopes of pulling off a Europa League miracle were dealt a blow.
Although Martin O'Neill's side may not play as poorly as they did in the first leg, the trip to Germany will certainly not be easy. If they can come back, it would mean history in the making.
Neither team has successfully overturned a three-goal deficit from a 4–1 defeat in the first leg. Teams have come back from 3–0 or by different scores, but never 4–1.
In 2019 Eintracht Frankfurt had a team come close to recovering from a 4–1 defeat in the competition.
