On Saturday afternoon, Celtic fans focused only on Pittodrie. Many were upset by the 1-1 draw, but there were some positives to take away from the afternoon.
One of these was Adam Idah’s debut, while the other was Japan’s elimination from the Asian Cup. The unexpected news broke at halftime of the Hoops’ match against Aberdeen, and it was positively received by the fans.
Many expected the Samurai Blue to go all the way, but Iran had other plans, defeating them 2-1 with a stunning penalty kick winner in the 96th minute.
This left Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda devastated, but Celtic fans were overjoyed. The two have been missed in recent games, and while the former will be out for a while due to injury, Maeda will return.
He is fully fit, and despite starting for Japan in Qatar on Saturday, he might perhaps play for The Bhoys this midweek. For some, this may seem like a rapid turnaround, but Takumi Minamino played 23 minutes from the bench for his country in their quarter-final, then a day later, on Sunday, he was on the bench for his club, Monaco.
Against Le Havre, the attacker appeared for the final twenty minutes. If Minamino can heal that quickly, Maeda should be able to do the same given two extra days.
Given the Hoops’ performance over the weekend, having the 26-year-old back in the lineup for the Easter Road game would be a huge boost. The player recently indicated a desire to return to the grind with his team, but Brendan Rodgers will make the final decision on whether Maeda is fit and able to participate.
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