Cameron Carter-Vickers Celtic Return Timeline – Rodgers Weighs In

Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Monday evening that Celtic will be without key defender Cameron Carter-Vickers for their crucial Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund. The American international, a vital figure in Celtic’s defence, missed the last two domestic matches and did not Travel with the squad to Germany.

Rodgers provided a squad update ahead of the Game to Celtic TV: “No, mostly everyone is here. Cameron Carter-Vickers is not available, so we’ll see how he is going into next weekend, but he’s not here for this evening.” The absence of Carter-Vickers is a significant blow, particularly with the high stakes in the Chanpions League.

With Celtic playing Dortmund on Tuesday evening and then Ross County on Sunday before another international break, if Rodgers isn’t ruling Cameron out long term he could be back for the Aberdeen tie later in October.

In his place, new signing Auston Trusty, who joined from Sheffield United in a £6 million deal over the summer, is expected to continue in the starting XI. Trusty has already stepped up in the last two matches and has impressed Rodgers with his performances, making him the likely candidate to partner in central defence.

Rodgers acknowledged the importance of Carter-Vickers but emphasised the depth in the squad: “Clearly, he’s a top-class player for us. He’s missed a bit of Champions League Football, I think five of the 12 Games the club has played, unfortunately. But we have other players, and it’s always an opportunity for someone else to come in.”

The Celric manager urged his team to focus on a collective approach rather than worry about individual absences. “We can’t overthink it; we rely on the collective. There’s not one player that brings our results. Of course, he’s very important, but for us to get a result tomorrow, it will be about the collective.”

With Trusty set to continue in the heart of the defence alongside Liam Scales, the pressure will be on the new Bhoy to help Celtic contain Dortmund’s attack and maintain their hopes of progressing in Europe.