Celtic were unlucky in the right-back position during the 2025/26 season, with injuries decimating their options in that position.
Alistair Johnston has been sidelined since sustaining a muscular injury in October’s Europa League match against Sturm Graz, but returned to training last month.
However, the full-back was called up to Canada for the March international break and suffered a further injury, which delayed his return to the Hoops pitch.
Julian Araujo was signed on loan from Bournemouth in the January transfer window to strengthen the club’s options in that position, but he sustained a quad injury against Rangers last month and could miss the rest of the season.
Colby Donovan has featured at right-back in the last three Scottish Premiership games and was substituted with injury in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Dundee.
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The academy graduate missed out on Scotland Under-21 duty last month with a knee injury, but last weekend he featured in the game against Dundee, coming off as a substitute due to a knee problem.
The Daily Record then reported that Celtic were grappling with test results that could potentially keep him out for the remainder of the season.
This means the Hoops could be without Donovan for the next two months, with six league games and potentially two cup games if they beat St Mirren in the semi-finals later this month.
With Araujo and Johnston already sidelined and likely to leave midway through the season, Anthony Ralston may be the only natural senior right-back for Martin O’Neill as he chases two trophies.
Celtic have lost four of the last seven games in which Ralston has started, with one of the three wins coming against semi-pro side Auchinleck-Talbot, which is a concern heading into this clutch stage of the campaign.
Celtic star likely to start ahead of Anthony Ralston in the Premiership
O’Neill could get creative by unleashing a star player in a new role instead of playing the Scotland international, who has not been able to contribute to his success in recent seasons.
In the January transfer window, Celtic snapped up central defender Benjamin Arthur on loan from Premier League side Brentford until the end of the season to strengthen their options on the wing after Jermay Simpson-Pewsey’s loan ended.
Dundee manager Stephen Pressley, who he worked with at Brentford, described the star as a “young Virgil van Dijk” with a “fast, strong and powerful” defense.
25/26 Premiership | benjamin arthur |
|---|---|
Appearance | 4 |
tackle | 6 |
intercept | 5 |
clearance | 29 |
won a duel | 18 |
Ground duel success rate | 71% |
Aerial duel success rate | 87% |
The Bees loanee has appeared in four league games for the Scottish side so far and has shown signs of form, winning the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air, showing an edge that has earned him the nickname ‘Young Virgil van Dijk’.
Ralston, on the other hand, averages just 0.5 interceptions per game and has won 65% of his encounters in 19 Premiership appearances, suggesting he is not as mobile or physical as the England Under-20s.
Arthur has only played at centre-back so far for the Scottish giants, as that is his natural position, but he has started one game at right-back in his career, which is the new role he could play for the Hoops.
O’Neill played Simpson Pusey at right-back against Kilmarnock in November, but it was unclear whether he would be able to play there, which shows the manager is willing to experiment and be creative to find solutions on the pitch.
This means Arthur is not out of the realm of possibility to be drafted to alleviate Donovan’s injury, as there have been recent concerns about the team’s performance with Ralston as the starter.
The fact that Ralston has lost four of his last six games against premiership-level opponents as a starter doesn’t suggest he’s unlikely to help turn Celtic’s title bid and win the division.
Arthur’s excellent mobility and physicality in the right-back position could improve Celtic’s backline for this important match. This could be important as Celtic have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight league games.
O’Neal isn’t ideal as he’s not a natural fullback, but with injuries to Donovan, Araujo and Johnston, O’Neal will need to get creative to build the strongest team possible.
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