Celtic have been handed a “hammer blow” following their 1-0 defeat to Rangers with the news a key player faces up to four months on the sidelines.
Celtic’s £7m French defender Chris Jullien [BBC Sport] was stretchered off in our rival’s 3-0 Parkhead win over Dundee United in the match directly before the trip to Ibrox.
The defender collided with the post whilst making a clearance in the match with Neil Lennon describing the ex-Toulouse defender’s knee injury as a “hammer blow” [BBC Sport].
Jullien’s absence was considered a sizeable blow to Neil Lennon’s side ahead of the Rangers match and they now face the bulk of this season without the defender.
With Rangers 19 points ahead in the title race and Jullien certainly the club’s most expensive defender, this represents a significant blow to their chances of cutting that gap.
The fact that Jullien was only just returning from injury – to a team devoid of defensive quality and organisation – makes this even sourer for our rivals.
Rangers in contrast have had a season built on incredibly solid defensive foundations with the Ibrox side only conceding five goals in the Scottish Premiership this season.
The Celtic win was Rangers’ 18th league clean sheet this season, a remarkable statistic for any team in any division.
Rangers defender Leon Balogun was making his Old Firm debut in the win over Celtic and earned the plaudits of the Ibrox support for his comments after the famous victory.
