Omitted by Eagles, injured Aribo faces race to be fit for Old Firm clash

Joe Aribo has been left out of the Nigeria squad, indicating he may not return to first team action soon, reports glasgowtimes.co.uk.

Nigeria’s squad, which is for their matches against Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia on October 9 and 13, did not feature the midfielder. Aribo has score two goals in four games for Nigeria since he made his debut last year.

The midfielder had been the star man for Rangers pre-season, but picked up an injury and has missed recent clashes. Not being included in the squad suggests it will be a race for Aribo to be fit for Rangers’ Old Firm clash with Celtic on October 17.

Meanwhile, Celtic, Rangers and the Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL) are facing an anxious wait to find out if the first Old Firm clash of the season will be given the green light by government chiefs.

The threat comes as government officials from the UK are meeting this morning to discuss fresh lockdown measures due to a sharp rise in coronavirus cases across the country.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday warned the nation that ‘additional restrictions’ would almost certainly be put in place over the coming days.

And reports late last night suggested that a ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown could be imposed over the upcoming October holidays. Celtic welcome Rangers to Parkhead on the final weekend of the October break and the Daily Mail reported yesterday that government chiefs may see the match as a risk that is not worth taking.

The fear from public health officials is that supporters may gather in large numbers to watch the game on television – or attend the stadium before and after the match. Nicola Sturgeon spoke yesterday, saying: “Any responsible government is looking at a whole range of options. We haven’t reached final decisions yet.”