Has Lustig’s suspension led to Cristian Gamboa’s last chance to impress Rodgers?

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The right-back has barely featured for Celtic this term and does not appear to have much of a future in Glasgow

Celtic’s Swedish right-back Mikael Lustig was dismissed late on against Aberdeen after a rash challenge on former Hoops attacker Gary Mackay-Steven that led to a second yellow card.

The 31-year-old vice-captain will now miss his side’s game against Dundee tomorrow evening through suspension, handing the chance to one of two players to impress.

The club’s current right-back options includes the suspended Lustig, academy graduate Anthony Ralston and Costa Rica international Cristian Gamboa, and despite a number of questionable performances this season, the Swede remains number one choice.

Nevertheless, with Lustig now suspended, the opportunity for Gamboa and Ralston to impress their manager has now arisen, although it is nearly impossible to tell who Brendan Rodgers will opt for.

Ralston recently returned from injury surrounded by rumours that he may displace Lustig in the starting XI, but in the one game when Lustig has not played since Ralston’s return to fitness, we have seen Gamboa start in his place, leading to much confusion from the fans over the pecking order.

Ralston was mightily impressive in the earlier stages of the season prior to his injury, and put in a number of spirited performances which led to a serious popularity rise amongst the fans.

Gamboa has never really featured regularly for the first team at all since arriving in Glasgow, and has looked off the pace on too many occasions, having only made 18 appearances in the league so far in his season and a half at Celtic Park.

With Ralston on the books, Gamboa’s time at the club may well be coming to an end, but if he is handed the opportunity to play in place of Lustig like he was last time, the former Premier League man still has a chance to win the trust of his manager.

There has never been any question over Gamboa’s attacking prowess due to his searing pace, however, his defensive abilities have come into question too frequently.

Going five months without a competitive appearance is never good for anyone’s form and the 62 capped Costa Rican will be hoping he can silence his critics and salvage his Hoops career with a strong defensive performance against Dundee tomorrow.