Celtic handed massive campaign-saving boost ahead of Zenit St Petersburg clash

Celtic vs Astana
Celtic vs Astana

Celtic have been handed a massive injury boost ahead of their Europa League round-of-32 double-header against Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg, as star midfielder Stuart Armstrong is set to return to action sooner than anticipated.

The Hoops suffered the ignominy of losing to Kilmarnock at the weekend, and many argue that the impact of the 25-year-old would have helped prevented such embarrassment.

Armstrong has been out of action since December 30, and a hernia operation mid last month was supposed to sideline him for much longer.

However, the fans’ favorite is in line to play next Thursday, handing manager Brendan Rodgers a relieving campaign-saving lift at a time when the Celtic squad is injury-ravaged.

With Leigh Griffiths already down with a calf injury, the Hoops were dealt a double injury blow as the centre-back pairing Dedryck Boyata and Kristoffer Ajer both got injured on Saturday.

While the Glasgow giants are on course to win the remaining 2 domestic trophies, they will relish the chance to advance to the next rounds of the Europa League, and the presence of a top player like Armstrong can go a long way in making that a reality.