The Celtic boss will be tempted to play Carter Vickers today but should he?

As we wait for the kick-off today, the familiar football ritual begins—scrutinising the team sheet. By two o’clock, we’ll know how the boss intends to line up, and until then, the big question on everyone’s mind is whether Cameron Carter-Vickers will make the squad. He might make the bench, but considering he’s only just back in training, I wonder if it’s wise to play him today.

Carter-Vickers is a towering figure in this team, but he has a frustrating tendency to pick up injuries. I’m not suggesting that makes him fragile, but it’s clear he goes through these spells. The crucial thing is to manage his fitness and not take any unnecessary risks.

With a busy month ahead, as we’ve discussed on this site before, it’s essential to have as many players fit as possible, especially someone of his calibre.

Let’s be honest, though: we all want to see Carter-Vickers back in the team today for one reason—Wednesday. It’s not that we need him against Aberdeen, but we all desperately want him fully fit for the upcoming Champions League clash.

However, if rushing him back for today or even Wednesday risks aggravating the injury and putting him out for a longer spell, it’s simply not worth it. We need to be cautious.

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m willing to sacrifice points in the Champions League. I’m not. I want us to fight for points in every game. But our strategy this season is clear: winning our home games should put us in a strong position.

I don’t think anyone seriously expected us to get anything from the away game at Dortmund or expects us to take points in Bergamo. So, taking a risk with a key player now, especially one we’ll need in the coming months, would be incredibly short-sighted.

I also don’t think that leaving Carter-Vickers out will drastically increase the chances of dropping points in the Champions League.

If we get the tactics right, we’ll give ourselves a better chance than if we simply rely on a fully fit Carter-Vickers at the back but employ the wrong game plan. Success on Wednesday will come down to our approach, our style of play, and how hard the players work. The lineup itself will be secondary if we don’t get the tactical side correct.

However, if Rodgers gets the tactical setup spot-on, we’ll be in with a shout. We’ve seen Rodgers work his magic before, and we know he’s a master of adapting to different challenges. If he gets the game plan right, the starting XI won’t matter as much. We have the depth now to shake things up a bit, and if we need to leave one player out, it shouldn’t be a disaster.

The key thing might actually be the absence of Greg Taylor.

That might actually make the Carter Vickers decision for us.

You can probably get away with leaving out Carter-Vickers if he’s the only change at the back. But as we are sure to be missing Greg Taylor, that’s a much bigger gamble. In that scenario, whoever is the fittest between the two should play, even if it’s just for 70 minutes.

This isn’t about individual brilliance, but about familiarity.

Carter-Vickers, Taylor, Liam Scales, and Alistair Johnston have played together for a while.

They know each other’s movements and can anticipate how the others will react. That’s invaluable in a big game. You can form new partnerships, of course, but that takes time. Ideally, you don’t want to experiment with that in such a crucial match.

So, it’s time to look at the bigger picture. We need to keep our eyes on the prize—those vital home wins in the Champions League.

With that in mind, playing Carter-Vickers today might be a step too far … but it’s a different debate come Wednesday.

He’s only just returned to training, so he’s clearly not fully match-fit yet. I could see him playing a role today and again on Wednesday, but starting him today?

If we don’t absolutely have to, then we shouldn’t take the risk.