Celtic return to action this evening as they face off against Lazio in Rome in their fifth match of the Champions League group stages this season.
The Hoops are in search of their first win in the competition this term as they have failed to win any of their opening four matches, against Lazio, Atletico Madrid, and Feyenoord.
They are rooted firmly to the bottom of their group and sit five points behind Feyenoord in third with only two games left to play before the end of this stage.
This means that Brendan Rodgers' side need a miraculous swing of points just to secure a transition to Europa League football for the knockout stages. If not, they will make an early exit from Europe and will only have domestic action to look forward to for the second half of the campaign.
Ahead of this match in Italy, Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday as a late penalty from David Turnbull was cancelled out by Jonathan Obika's 90th-minute equaliser.
They head into tonight's clash, though, with a host of injury and suspension issues for the Northern Irish head coach to contend with when it comes to his team selection.
Celtic injury news
Firstly, Liel Abada remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from a long-term thigh injury that was suffered towards the start of the campaign. The 22-year-old whiz started the season with one goal and one assist in three Premiership starts for the Scottish giants.
Daizen Maeda, who has one assist in four Champions League clashes this term, is also out with a hamstring issue and will not be one of the manager's wide options tonight.
Japan international Reo Hatate is also set to watch on from home as the central midfielder has been ruled out until after Christmas with a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old ace has produced two goals and two assists in four Premiership starts so far this season.
One piece of good news, however, is that James Forrest is set to be available after missing out on the draw with Motherwell on Saturday.
A short-term problem that Rodgers does need to deal with, though, is Luis Palma's suspension. The 23-year-old ace picked up his third yellow card of the group stages against Atletico and is now suspended for this clash with Lazio.
This means that the left wing position in Celtic's starting XI is up for grabs as the Honduras international lined up on the left against Motherwell from the start.
With this in mind, Rodgers must finally unleash academy forward Michael Johnston from the start on the left side of the attack in Rome tonight.
He is yet to make an appearance in the Champions League this season and has not started a single Premiership match but did produce an impressive cameo off the bench against Motherwell.
The statistics that show why Johnston should start
The 24-year-old talent came on for the final 23 minutes on Saturday and caught the eye with an excellent showing that could earn him a start against Lazio.
Johnston completed two of his three attempted dribbles and, in doing so, won a penalty that was converted by Turnbull to make it 1-0 to Celtic at the time.
The Ireland international, who was once lauded as "terrific" by ex-Ireland midfielder Ray Houghton, also created one 'big chance' for his fellow attackers but they were not able to make the most of that opportunity to find the back of the net.
This, essentially, means that Johnston produced two presentable goalscoring chances for his teammates as he won a penalty and created a huge opening, in just 23 minutes on the pitch.
He has not featured much for Celtic this season but has made six appearances for Ireland in their European Championship qualifying campaign and contributed with two goals and one 'big chance' created, despite starting one game.
The £7.9k-per-week gem, who was once hailed as a "throwback" style of winger in how direct he is by teammate Joe Hart, spent last season on loan with Vitoria in Portugal.
During his spell with the Portuguese outfit, Johnston showcased his creative skills with four 'big chances' created and four assists in 15 league starts.
The Scottish-born whiz has 11 goals and ten assists in 82 first-team matches for Celtic since graduating from the academy and Rodgers should provide him with the opportunity to add to that tally against Lazio tonight after his superb cameo in the Premiership on Saturday.
However, it will be difficult to step into Palma's boots and replicate the impact that he has had for the Hoops this season as the talented forward has hit the ground running in Scotland.
Luis Palma's season in numbers
The 23-year-old wizard has been a superb signing since Rodgers snapped him up from Greek side Aris to bolster his attack over the summer.
Palma has scored one goal in three Champions League starts, which is a respectable return, but his form in the Premiership has been particularly impressive.
The right-footed ace has contributed with an outstanding four goals and five assists in six league starts and nine appearances for the Scottish giants
He has created four 'big chances' and made 2.4 key passes per game for his teammates in the top-flight as the talented gem has showcased his ability to make a consistent impact at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Palma arrived at Parkhead over the summer off the back of a return of 11 goals, four assists, and four 'big chances' created in 20 league starts for Aris during the 2022/23 campaign.
He has proven himself to be a terrific winger who has the quality to chip in with goals and assists on a regular basis, and has already notched his first European strike for Celtic this term.
Therefore, it will be difficult to replace him effectively against Lazio tonight. However, Johnston has the potential to be an exciting player for Rodgers to select on the left flank as his direct play could cause problems for the opposition.
His positive running made him a big threat against Motherwell and it will be down to him to replicate that impact against the Italian side if given the chance to perform in place of Palma.