Nir Bitton is not a natural centre-half and the Celtic man could be ruthlessly exposed against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
It’s fair to say there is quite a gulf in class between Kazakhstan champions Astana and a certain Paris Saint-Germain.
And if Nir Bitton struggled against Patrick Twumasi and Junior Kabananga, what chance does the out-of-position Israeli have as Celtic prepare to welcome Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar to Parkhead on Tuesday night?
Bitton, a central midfielder by trade, has been forced to fill in at centre-half in the opening weeks of the season due to injuries to both Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko, not to mention Celtic’s failure to land South African international Rivaldo Coetzee due to a failed medical.
And while Bitton was relatively unchallenged in domestic games in his new position, his lack of pace and positional sense was brutally exposed as Astana scored three times in 21 minutes as Celtic collapsed to a 4-3 Champions League qualification second-leg last month.
Therefore, Celtic fans could be forgiven for wiping the beads of sweat from their brow as Bitton prepares to come up against the two most expensive players in footballing history – and a striker who netted 49 goals in 50 games last season and already has seven in six this.
However, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has very little choice. The only viable alternative is to partner Erik Sviatchenko with 19-year-old Kristoffer Ajer, a talented but inexperienced centre-back who scored an own-goal in that Astana tie.
The prospect of welcoming arguably the world’s most fearsome forward line to Glasgow may have already been a daunting prospect for Celtic but the lack of available centre-halves will not calm their nerves.
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