Carter Vickers may play on Tuesday, but his Trusty partner has tipped the Scales in his favour.

Yesterday’s injury update was a bit of a mixed bag. We got what we expected with Alistair Johnston, who was back in training and in good shape. He’s available for selection today if necessary and certainly for Tuesday night’s game.

However, the news about Cameron Carter-Vickers wasn’t as positive.

He’s dealing with a sore toe at the joint, which doesn’t sound great. The club is monitoring him closely, and while some headlines suggest he’s a major doubt, I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate. Brendan Rodgers mentioned that a decision will be made after the weekend, and for now, the focus is on today’s game against St. Johnstone.

As far as today goes, it’s not ideal, but I’m relieved Carter-Vickers won’t play. He needs time to fully recover. I suspect he’ll be fit for Tuesday’s match, possibly playing at least 60 minutes. After that, he’ll have a few weeks to rest, as we won’t need him for Ross County.

This also gives us a chance to see our £6 million centre-back, Austin Trusty, get some game time both today and against Ross County.

After those games, we hit the two-week international break, which should give Carter-Vickers ample time to recuperate. There’s no point in risking him for these lesser matches, but he would be a massive miss for the Dortmund game. While many fans are concerned, I’m encouraged that he hasn’t been ruled out entirely.

This suggests his game time is being managed, and that’s smart from the club’s perspective. Rodgers doesn’t like playing anyone who isn’t fully fit because they can’t give their best. We don’t want to see Carter-Vickers in the Dortmund game unless he’s absolutely ready, so it’s promising that he’s being given every chance to make it.

As for Alistair Johnston, it’s great he’s available for selection today, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s rested. Just because he’s fit doesn’t mean we should take unnecessary risks with him, especially with such an important match coming up. Johnston has become a vital part of the Celtic setup, and we’d be foolish to push him and risk another injury.

Trusty, our £6 million man, has played in the Premier League and faced top-tier players, so there’s no question about his readiness.

Unlike Lagerbielke or Nawrocki, who Rodgers hadn’t seen much of, Trusty is a signing sanctioned by the manager himself. He looked a bit rusty against Falkirk, but given how long he’s been without game time, that’s understandable. Today’s 90 minutes are crucial, especially if Carter-Vickers isn’t fit, and we have to rely on Trusty alongside Liam Scales.

This is where we’ve been fortunate with Scales. Most of us thought he’d drop out of the team once Trusty was up to speed, with our £12 million centre-back pairing of Carter-Vickers and Trusty expected to lead the line in the Champions League. However, Scales’ performances this season have been excellent, and it’s now Trusty who has a battle on his hands.

If Carter-Vickers is going to miss a few matches, Scales becomes even more vital. He’s earned his spot, not by luck but by merit. I was sceptical about him at the start of the season, believing we could do better, but his performances have been undeniable.

You can’t ignore that just because we’ve spent big on another player. Scales has earned his place and won’t give it up easily. He’d have to make a significant mistake to be dropped now, which is a testament to how far he’s come since joining from Shamrock Rovers.

Carter-Vickers will remain our first-choice centre-back—there’s no better defender in the country. But the competition for who plays alongside him is much fiercer than anyone anticipated. Trusty will have to perform exceptionally well today if he wants to stake his claim for the Dortmund game, but as things stand, I fully expect Scales to be the man starting next to Carter-Vickers when it matters most.

We’ll see how the centre-backs fare today, but right now, there’s no doubt as to which of them is playing for his place. One of them is guaranteed to start in Dortmund. It is Scales who has tipped the balance in his favour.

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