Shaun Maloney expecting a good game on Kilmarnock's new pitch

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Celtic F.C.

·7 August 2026

Shaun Maloney expecting a good game on Kilmarnock's new pitch

After kicking off their title defence with a 1-0 win over Dundee at Celtic Park on Monday evening, Celtic are back in league action this weekend with a trip to Rugby Park on the cards for the Champions.

The club confirmed earlier this week that Martin O’Neill had undergone a small procedure in hospital and, with the Hoops boss still recovering from that procedure, assistant manager Shaun Maloney was on media duty this afternoon.

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Speaking to the press at Lennoxtown, Maloney explained that the manager is on the mend, as he paid tribute to the impact the Irishman has made since returning to the Celtic Park hot seat.

“I went to see him last night, that was really positive.” Maloney said. “He got out of hospital yesterday (Thursday) and he was in good form last night.

“We spoke about preparations for the Kilmarnock game. He wasn’t in today and I’ll speak to him this afternoon and he’ll make a call for tomorrow and the game at the weekend.

“We’ll definitely miss him if he’s not there, but you also have to respect what’s happened the last few days.

‘The impact that he’s had since October, it’s been nothing short of incredible really.’

“We’ll miss him but we’ll be prepared. We’ve got brilliant senior players, so we’ll see and we’ll make the call.

“Hopefully the positive feeling that he has will continue, but he was in good form last night.”

Watch Shaun Maloney's full press conference below.

There was a familiar face at training this afternoon (Friday) as Portuguese winger Jota returned to the training group after a lengthy recovery from injury.

It is the first time that Jota has trained with his team-mates since picking up a serious injury last April, and Shaun Maloney says that whilst the winger still has a way to go on his road to fitness, his return to training is a boost for the Bhoys.

He said: “It’s a real positive for us (Jota returning to training). I’ve never worked with him, I’ve watched him obviously, and we’re all excited to get him back.

“Today was the first day he had a full session in terms of doing every drill. Some of it was unopposed, so he’s still not in full contact.

“It’s not going to be two or three weeks, he still has a bit to go, but it’s really positive because he’s had a tough time.

'Over the last few weeks he’s looked good. As a coaching staff we’re really looking forward to him being back. It gives us a completely different type of winger.'

Ahead of Sunday’s match against Kilmarnock, the Hoops’ assistant manager said that he expects a difficult test at Rugby Park, where the infamous artificial playing surface has recently been replaced with a brand new grass pitch.

He added: “I watched Kilmarnock against St Johnstone and they’re a good side with some really good players.

“Their new pitch looks fantastic. It will suit them and it’ll suit us, so hopefully it’s a really good game.

“It will be a tough game, our next two away fixtures will be tough. We’ll have to be better than we were in the first half against Dundee.”