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One player who will be missing for Celtic for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup Final against Hibernian is centre-back Christopher Jullien. The Frenchman has not played for the Hoops this season as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered against Dundee United last December.
It is unfortunate that the player has been out of action for so long, as he was a key defender for the side when he was fit, and indeed, he showed that in a previous Celtic League Cup Final triumph.
Any talk about the final of season 2019/20 has always been about Fraser Forster, and rightfully so, as he turned in a truly superb goalkeeping performance.
His string of saves, including a penalty, kept the Hoops in the game during a spell when Rangers were on top. However, it shouldn’t forgotten about that it was Jullien who scored the only goal of the game.
The defender was in the right place at the right time to ghost in and finish off Ryan Christie’s free-kick in style. The goal might have looked slightly offside, but it is all about taking your chances and Celtic managed to do that on the day.
YouTube: Rangers 0-1 Celtic | Penalty and Red Card In Dramatic Old Firm Final! | 2019/2020 Betfred Cup Final
One wonders how often Jullien would feature for Celtic under Ange Postecoglou if he was fit. He would likely be one of the first choice centre-backs, alongside either Carl Starfelt or Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Both Starfelt and Carter-Vickers have played well for Celtic this season, so there is no guarantee that he will return to the starting line-up automatically when he is back fully fit.
There is no point in Celtic rushing Jullien back, as the club won’t want the player to pick up another injury if he returns too quickly. The fact that the Hoops also seem to have a solid centre-back partnership mean that perhaps Jullien isn’t being as badly missed as most thought he would be.
Still, there is no doubt that it would be better for Celtic to have Jullien fit and available for selection. We have seen how the team have found it difficult to cope with injuries in the forward line, and it would be a real issue if something similar happened to the Celtic defence.
Regarding the upcoming cup final, even for his goal threat alone Jullien is going to be a miss for the Bhoys against Hibernian. Hopefully the Hoops can deal with Jullien’s absence and still win the trophy, and who knows, perhaps at the end of the game he might well be on the pitch should he Hoops perform a lap of honour.
