Celtic secured a 2-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday, October 11, 2026, halting a three-match losing streak across competitions.
The victory eased pressure on the Scottish club, yet a defensive issue now looms before its midweek European fixture against Benfica in Portugal.
Manager Martin O'Neill confirmed that Cameron Carter Vickers remains sidelined with a strain and is unlikely to feature on Thursday.
The American defender missed the Premiership encounter after failing to recover in time, which led O'Neill to pair Dane Murray with Liam Scales in central defense.
Auston Trusty, another United States international, was named among the substitutes according to the matchday team information published before kickoff.
Medical Team Flags Benfica Trip as Too Early
Reports from Yahoo Sports and The Herald on October 11 noted that O'Neill had initially delayed his decision on Carter Vickers' availability.
The manager later indicated that the medical staff considered the Benfica fixture too soon for a return.
O'Neill had described the problem as a strain when discussing the defender's condition before the Motherwell game.
He said: "He might not be fit for Thursday. I think he's got a strain and he's missing this one."
O'Neill added: "Physios and the medical team have told me that Thursday might be too early."
The comments left Celtic facing the possibility of another match without one of its established central defenders.
Carter Vickers, 28, joined Celtic permanently after impressing during a loan spell in Glasgow in the 2020-21 season.
According to a Livescore report published on October 9, Tottenham Hotspur developed him through its youth system from the age of 11.
Limited first-team opportunities led to several loan moves before his permanent transfer to Celtic for £6 million ($8 million).
His performances in Scotland helped restore his place in the United States national team setup, and he represented the country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Recurring fitness problems have disrupted his recent availability, while questions have emerged about Celtic's squad depth and recruitment after a difficult start to the 2026-27 campaign.
Former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs also questioned the team's recent performances and recruitment strategy in comments reported by Livescore.
Stubbs said: "He's not performing at that level."
He continued: "I think last season there were very good parts of his game and again he got injured, which Celtic missed him when he wasn't in the team.
He was a big loss."
Stubbs added: "But I think if you look at Celtic at this moment in time, they're not performing anywhere near the level that, most importantly, the fans want to see."
Stubbs linked the team's difficulties to recent results against Rangers and changes in squad personnel.
He argued that Celtic had not consistently demonstrated the quality expected of them.
Stubbs said: "And I think that reflects the two Old Firm games recently that's just been played. Rangers have had a huge turnaround in terms of personnel.
Celtic have had a few and brought in people. But for me, I think there's been a real drop-off in quality for Celtic."
He also raised concerns about the club's spending decisions and whether its recruitment had been sufficient to maintain its position against its Glasgow rivals.
Stubbs said: "And they've had Rangers where they wanted them in terms of pushing forward and really stomping their authority.
And for some reason, Celtic always just seem to spend, or are seeming to spend, just enough.
And you wonder whether that just enough is going to come back and bite them on the backside."
Celtic's immediate priority is the trip to Portugal to face Benfica on Thursday.
Carter Vickers' availability remains uncertain, with the medical team's assessment suggesting that the defender could miss the European fixture.
