Dembele in scan sweat for final over hamstring
BRENDAN Rodgers has admitted his top scorer Moussa Dembele is a serious doubt for the William Hill Scottish Cup Final with Aberdeen next month.
Rodgers’ side are now j just 90 minutes away from winning a rare domestic treble after an impressive 2-0 win over Rangers in the semi-final yesterday.
Dembele, the leading marksman in Scotland this season with 32 goals to his name, limped off after 27 minutes of the last-four match at Hampden after suffering a suspected hamstring strain.
The 21-year-old, who had set up Callum McGregor for the opening goal, went t to hospital for a scan and medical staff at Parkhead will examine the extent of the injury when they r receive the results this w week.
However, Rodgers, whose side have already won the Betfred Cup and the Ladbrokes Premiers ship in the 2016/17 camp paign, envisages that the French forward could be struggling to make the final against Aberdeen on Saturday, May 27.
Asked if Dembele w would be available for the m meeting with Derek McInnes’ team next month, Rodgers replied: “We’ll see.
“It looks like a hams string. If it’s a full blown hamstring then he probably wouldn’t be. We’ll see. It is still late April so that’s not until May time. We’ll see what the scan brings.”
THE injury suffered by Dembele was the only negative for Celtic on a an afternoon when they once again underlined their superiority over Rangers w with a dominant display.
However, Rodgers is convinced his side can improve further still, despite their assured display against Rangers.
“I thought we played absolutely brilliant in the game,” he said.
“We saw everything you would want from your team in terms of composure, temperament and technical quality.
“In the first half in particular we were outstanding. We restricted Rangers to very few opportunities.
“We scored a great goal. The only disappointment was we didn’t score more.
“At 2-0 we were comfortable. Sometimes you look for the rest.
“That allowed them a little spell of about 15 minutes where they had a couple of opportunities.
“But you’re better to rest with the ball than without the ball. That was my only pointer in the game.
“But over the course of the game, to play a Celtic v Rangers game to that level and that quality makes me very proud of the team.”
Emulating the achievements of Jock Stein in 1967 and 1969 and Martin O’Neill in 2001 by winning the League Cup, Scottish title and Scottish Cup in the same season seemed an unlikely outcome after Rodgers’ first game.
His side crashed to an ignominious 1-0 defeat to part-time Lincoln Red Imps in the second qualifying round of the Champions League in Gibraltar back in July.
But asked if he was surprised to be one game away from completing a clean sweep of domestic trophies in his first season as manager, Rodgers said: “No. When you come to Celtic you are here to win.
“I enjoy that pressure and I’ve been asked to do it at a club I know well.
“It might have been different if you’d asked me after that game in Gibraltar.
“I knew I had a bit of work on my hands after that. But what’s important is that we see progress.
“But there are real good signs throughout the course of the season and it’s a pleasure to work with them.”