Adam Matthews will miss the rest of Celtic's Champions League group games after it was confirmed that he had broken his collarbone last weekend.
Matthews landed heavily after a challenge by Keith Lasley at Celtic Park, and the damage was as bad as the club feared.
Matthews will undergo surgery tomorrow, and he is not expected to return to fitness until January. The loss is a particular blow to manager Neil Lennon, since Matthews has been in fine form. He has caught the eye in the Champions League in particularly, and Celtic's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages for a second consecutive season will be hampered by his absence.
Matthews will also miss the final two fixtures of Wales' World Cup qualifying campaign, against Macedonia and Belgium, although Chris Coleman's side are, like Scotland, already out of the running for reaching the finals. As well as Matthews, the Wales manager was also denied the services Gareth Bale, Joe Ledley - who has not played for Celtic for several weeks due to a hip problem - and Joe Allen because of injuries.
Wales play Macedonia in Cardiff on Friday night before heading to Brussels for an appointment with clear Group A leaders Belgium the following Tuesday.
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