Celtic trio set to return for Bayern

BRENDAN RODGERS has been handed a triple injury boost after it emerged Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong and Jozo Simunovic are all in contention to face Bayern Munich next week. Skipper Brown pulled up with a troublesome hamstring late in the 3-0 win over Anderlecht last month, while Armstrong felt a tight calf in the warm-up to the same game. Simunovic joined them on the doubtful list for the trip to Bavaria when the Bosnian FA initially claimed he had torn his

hamstring on international duty. But Rodgers yesterday allayed those fears, revealing that Brown (pictured) and Armstrong have responded to treatment to the extent that they will train today with a view to playing against Bayern on Wednesday as opposed to tomorrow’s game with Dundee. Simunovic is also in contention for the Group B crunch after his injury was deemed nowhere near as serious as first feared. ‘Scott and Stuart will train on Friday and, although it’ll be too early for Dundee, most definitely for Bayern Munich,’ said the Celtic manager. ‘Jozo is the same. It wasn’t a tear he had. It was just a slight aggravation and he needed to strengthen it and stay here. They have come together and he’ll be fine for Munich.’ Shorn of Dedryck Boyata for the opening Champions League match with Paris Saint-Germain, Rodgers’ makeshift defence went on to concede five times. With Simunovic and Boyata present and correct in Brussels last time out, Celtic recorded just their second away victory in the history of the revamped competition. And Rodgers feels having his preferred central defenders in place in the Allianz Arena gives his side a chance of building on their last spectacular win on the road. ‘You see the impact of him (Simunovic) and Boyata and what they give to the team when they play together,’ he said. ‘So that’s huge for us. It’s a big month of big games and you want your best players available.’ A hamstring injury has thus far prevented Moussa Dembele from getting game time in the group stage. Despite affording him 61 minutes from the start against Hibs two weeks ago, Rodgers feels the Frenchman has some way to go before he will be at his optimum level for a full match. ‘Moussa got some game time and I spoke with him at length on Thursday morning,’ he said. ‘It’s probably been a bit difficult for him. He is a boy who has done absolutely everything to get fit. ‘This is the balancing act between getting game time. We just want him available and ready to impact, whether from the bench or starting. ‘As you saw last season, he’ll get plenty opportunities to play. He’s in a real good place, he knows the team is doing great, but he’s ready if asked.’ Celtic will head back to Dubai in January for a mid-winter training camp.