Rogic’s injury will not subside in time for him to feature in Ibrox clash says Rodgers

Celtic will be without Tom Rogic for Saturday’s derby away to Rangers after the absence of the midfielder for the weekend fixture was confirmed last night by manager Brendan Rodgers.

Speaking after his team’s 2-0 win at home to Ross County that moved them 16 points clear of their Glasgow rivals, Rodgers said that the ankle problem that has kept the attacker out for a fortnight would not subside before the winter break.

“Rogic won’t make the game on Saturday,” said the Celtic manager, pictured. “That’s disappointing for him as he’s been outstanding, but it’s about the collective and we will be ready. Tom will be back after the mid-season break. It’s not a long-term injury.” Meanwhile, Rodgers put the heat on Rangers for this weekend’s encounter by claiming the result didn’t really matter to his side on the back of establishing a 16-point gap courtesy of 14 straight league wins and a 23-game unbeaten domestic run from the start of the season.

“There is huge pressure on them to get the result at home,” Rodgers said. “For us, we have played in big games under pressure this season and dealt well with it, stayed calm and got the result. We know it will be tough and it’s a game we are looking forward to. It finishes off a remarkable first half of the season for us. And we aim to go there and win.”

Reflecting on the outstanding return from his squad in his first half-season at the helm, he added: “The players are worthy of being 16 points ahead. Their quality; and mentality going into the games (shows) real focus.”

A calculator is becoming the must-have item for attending Celtic games. The figures are simply becoming dizzying, with the club seeing out their final home game of 2016 with a comfortable win over Ross County that means they are unbeaten in the 22 domestic encounters played at Celtic Park over the entire year.

That hardly begins to tell the story of Brendan Rodgers’ half season in charge of the club, though. The raking, long-range drives from Erik Sviatchenko and Stuart Armstrong that banked the latest three-points haul, ensured a 14th straight league win, and 23rd domestic game without defeat since day one of the campaign – 22 of these matches having been won. That has allowed Rodgers’ team to accumulate 55 points from the 57 they have contested.

It is a quite astonishing level of consistency last witnessed when Martin O’neill’s Celtic side of 2003-04 achieved a top-flight record of 25 straight league wins. In doing so, that team bagged 105 goals over the course of the league season. That is surely within reach of Rodgers’ team with the strikes against County meaning they have now scored 52 goals by the mid-point of this season.

Celtic weren’t at their best last night, and haven’t hit real heights across the eight games they have played in December. Yet, they have always had the quality to make the difference and though Rodgers might feel his team will lose this season in the domestic domain, that is no certainty.

Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday might be expected to provide the Scottish champions with their sternest test. Yet, the fact there is now a 16-point gap between the pair – with Celtic having played a game fewer – gives little reason to suppose that the winning run of

0 Erik Sviatchenko fires home a long-range strike to open the scoring for Celtic against Ross County with what was only the Danish defender’s second goal for the Parkhead

0 Stuart Armstrong, right, celebrates his goal with Leigh Griffiths. Rodgers’ team will be halted on Hogmanay.

The range and variety of goal sources and the team’s relentless pressing and prompting to find openings have made Rodgers’ team an irresistible force.

It took until the 38th minute last night for Celtic to get going and they required a 32-yard steered effort from Sviatchenko. The Dane is only a few weeks short of one year at Celtic Park and until his precision low effort – which found County keeper Scott Fox slow in getting down – he had only once before found the net.

The contrast with the man who sealed the latest win for Rodgers’ men could hardly have been more acute. Armstrong, with six goals in the past six weeks to take him to eight for the season, has become the go-to player for goal plundering at Celtic – outstripping both strikers Leigh Griffithsandmoussadembele in the final two months of 2016.

He demonstrated his assurance and accuracy when he twisted into space 22 yards out, elected not to shoot, then shifted the ball back to his left side. Just as it seemed he would be closed down, he let rip with a grass-cutting effort that whizzed across the face of the goal and into the far corner of the County net.

It was all academic after that, with a low-key second half failing to produce any more goals, despite Celtic controlling the period and having several opportunities, a Griffiths header the best of them.

Yet, if there was any Premiership side entitled to feel they might be able to avoid succumbing at Celtic Park it was last night’s visitors. For no other reason than Jim Mcintyre’s men were the last team to actually do that.

Amid all the shiny stats the Scottish champions have been stacking up in mountainous fashion during their romp through their own backyard, it has been overlooked that they were looking to extend a 12-game domestic home win-