TROUBLE IN DEFENCE AS ERIK IS RULED OUT

rejected last summer. Midfielder Stefan Johansen, linked with a move to Turkey, was also missing from the flight as he stayed in Scotland for the birth of his first child, while Nir Bitton travelled with the squad despite missing the last three games with injury but Norwegian youngster Kristoffer Ajer is out. Toure could still become Celtic’s wildcard signing for the second leg against Astana after a fourth bid for Scott Sinclair was turned down. Sportsmail understands no fresh bid has been made from Celtic and, asked if the Aston Villa winger could still arrive in time for next week’s game, assistant manager Chris Davies said: ‘It would be disrespectful of us to talk about players at other clubs. We are working hard behind the scenes to try to bring people in who can make a difference. ‘It has to be the right deal for the right player. ‘For now, we are focusing on what we have.’ Insisting Celtic are prepared for any eventuality on the artificial pitch, Davies added: ‘We have a gameplan for Astana. We’ve had a good look at them and we know what we have to do. ‘It will be a difficult game. They are a team who have done well in the Champions League at home. ‘They are physical, they have quality and we will have to be on our game.’ Toure, meanwhile, has hailed Arsenal’s invincible season of 12 years ago as his benchmark for success at Celtic Park. The 35-year-old won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups during his 14 years in England, with the historic unbeaten 2003-04 season under Arsene Wenger the pinnacle. With the start of the league season now just 11 days away, he believes emulating the success of the Invincibles is a realistic ambition. ‘My ambition is just to win every game,’ he stated. ‘I want to try to win the league, the cups, get into the Champions League and go as far as we can in it.’ Asked if Celtic could repeat the Gunners’ feat, he replied: ‘Why not? That would be a great achievement for the team and for myself as well — to do it in two countries.’