Kieran Tierney in the frame for Arsenal start against Real Madrid in Champions League

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The Celtic Star

·4 April 2025

Kieran Tierney in the frame for Arsenal start against Real Madrid in Champions League

Celtic’s incoming left-back Kieran Tierney might be called upon for Arsenal’s mammoth Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid next week…

Brendan Rodgers and Kieran Tierney of Celtic are seen during the UEFA Champions League Qualifier between Celtic and Alashkert FC at Celtic Park on July 18, 2018 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta’s squad is facing a defensive injury crisis, with multiple key players currently sidelined. Arsenal was already without defenders Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, and Takehiro Tomiyasu before centre-back Gabriel and full-back Jurrien Timber were forced off during Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory over Fulham.

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Though Kieran Tierney remained on the bench for the match, the 27-year-old joins Miles Lewis-Skelly, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, and Oleksandr Zinchenko as Arsenal’s only fit defenders at the moment.

Subsequently, the soon-to-be Celtic player could get a chance to feature against the reigning Champions League holders at the Emirates next Wednesday.

Scotland’s defender Kieran Tierney (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Manager Mikel Arteta yesterday addressed his squad’s injury troubles following Tuesday evening’s win: We don’t know how they’re [Gabriel and Timber] going to be,” he said. “We’ll be assessing them tomorrow to understand better how we are with those two. There are two players in this team that never want to come off and it’s those two, probably.

“We have still another four that are so willing that they will do their job”

“Gabi felt something in his hamstring. Jurrien was already struggling very early in the game. He managed to continue [but]at some point, he couldn’t. Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabriel Magalhaes – you can imagine [how I feel]with those four players in the defensive line in one week. We have still another four that are so willing that they will do their job.”

Kieran Tierney of Arsenal runs with the ball during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Arsenal face Everton in the Premier League tomorrow afternoon at Goodison before hosting Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded Real Madrid side in North London on Wednesday.

Celtic fingers crossed that KT avoids another injury

Celtic supporters will be hoping and indeed praying that Kieran Tierney, who has faced lengthy spells on the sidelines during his career does not suffer any injuries between now and the end of the season ahead of his return to the Scottish champions in the summer.

Kieran Tierney A shoots at the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur EPL match, at the Emirates Stadium, on 15th January, 2025. Photo IMAGO

Getting the chance to impress against Real Madrid on Tuesday night would be a pretty cool way to bring to a close his career as an Arsenal player. Their loss is clearly Celtic’s gain and KT will have more Champions League fixtures to look forward to next season, provided we negotiate the play-off round at the end of August.

Conor Spence

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