Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic facing late fitness test ahead of Europa League clash against Molde says boss Ronny Deila   

• Celtic face Molde in the Europa League on Thursday night
• Defender Jozo Simunovic is struggling with an ankle injury
• Manager Ronny Deila rates him at no higher than 50/50 for the clash
• The Bhoys boss does not want to risk him unnecessarily  

By Stephen Mcgowan For The Scottish Daily Mail

Published: 19:06 EST, 4 November 2015 | Updated: 19:06 EST, 4 November 2015

Ronny Deila will let £3million defender Jozo Simunovic decide if he's fit enough to face Molde in Thursday night's crunch Europa League clash.

The Croatian is rated no higher than 50/50 to make it after sustaining an ankle injury against Aberdeen.

And that could force Deila to throw error-prone Efe Ambrose into the heart of a backline which has lost two goals or more in each of their last five European ties.

Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic (left) is facing a late fitness test ahead of the match against Molde 

Simunovic has steadied the ship after playing against Dundee United, Hearts and Aberdeen.

But Deila admitted: 'I think Jozo is 50/50. We have done it before without him.

'We talked about consistency but, again, we have good players who can do a job there as well. 

'If he is 60 per cent he will not play because that is not good enough.'

The former Dinamo Zagreb defender played against Ajax in Amsterdam before missing the next seven games.

Asked if he could ask Simunovic to play through the pain barrier if possible, the Norwegian added: 'I can tell you one thing, if you have a knock or a twisted ankle it is about pain, and I assure you we push every player to the full but if a player said I am 80 per cent and I can't sprint more than 80 per cent then you can't be on the plane for Celtic because I have other players who are better.

'If you are 100 per cent but you have pain when you play with these injuries then you play.

'If you have a pulled muscle then I am cautious because you can re-injure it.

'It's a tough knock Jozo had from Sunday. It's a pain thing.'

Aberdeen's Adam Rooney (left) and Celtic's Simunovic jump for the ball in the Scottish Premiership 

'He is desperate to play. He almost wants to take injections to play. But that' s not legal any more – not in this country.'

Deila insisted Celtic have made strides in cutting out thigh and muscle injuries, but can't force players to play if they say they feel less than 100 per cent.

'Overall, I can assure you I am thinking the same thing as you.

'But you have to believe in people.

'You can't go into a body and see this and this. We push them. But we must also have trust in them.'

Celtic's young defender Kieran Tierney, 18, has been putting in some eye-catching displays 

Deila also has a decision to make at left-back where teenager Kieran Tierney impressed against Aberdeen last Saturday at the expense of the more experienced Emilio Izaguirre.

'Kieran is in my thoughts.

'He is available for tomorrow and played very well against Fenerbahce, fantastic.

'So he is a possibility. He is available for tomorrow and he is in my thoughts.'

Deila, meanwhile, declined to enter the furore over the Rangers EBT verdict.

'I don't know anything about that. That's before my time, you have to ask other people about that.'

Comments (0)

Share what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

Add your comment

Enter your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Submit Comment Clear

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now