Derek McInnes has provided an update on Jonny Hayes ahead of Aberdeen’s match with Celtic this afternoon.
The Dons welcome a Celtic side to Pittodrie who have lost their last two matches against Rangers and AC Milan. They haven’t been at their best this season and McInnes may feel there’s a chance for an upset.
Aberdeen are in decent form, winning three of their last four, a victory over the Hoops enough to life them back into third.
But they were fearing the worst after a 4-2 win over Hamilton Accies. Whilst the game itself provided a good result, Hayes went down the tunnel holding his groin in the first half.
The Irishman arrived in the north-east for a second spell this summer after a making himself a cult figure at Celtic. But there were fears he could miss the Celtic match and more after that muscle injury, a Scottish Cup semi-final on the horizon next weekend.
But in a positive update, manager McInnes says he’s got a fighting chance of featuring against his former employers: “Jonny had positive news on scans, they were not as bad as first feared.
“Jonny had an issue with his groin on his right side, we were hoping it was not a tear and it wasn’t anything significant.
“He will be fit for the semi-final next week and still has a chance of being ready for Sunday, but we will see how he goes.
“He has got to feel right and a lot better than he does but he is certainly not ruled out.
“Every team has injuries and suspensions to contend with we are just concentrating on ourselves.
“If we can bring a performance that we are happy with, if we can be fully concentrated and get the balance between attacking and defending right then we can give ourselves a chance.”