Celtic know they are at the centre of a title race and will be keen to avenge the disappointment of their draw against Aberdeen next time around.
Nicolas Kuhn managed to secure a 1-1 draw for Brendan Rodgers’ men as they fought back from Bojan Miovski’s opener; nevertheless, the Hoops struggled to turn the screw in search of a winner at Pittodrie.
Matt O’Riley went close in the dying embers and saw his effort come off the post, though the hosts could’ve just as easily picked up three points through Graeme Shinnie.
In light of Cameron Carter-Vickers’ latest injury concern, Maik Nawrocki started alongside Liam Scales in central defence and enjoyed an interesting afternoon.
Per Sofascore, the 22-year-old won four out of his six contested ground duels and recorded a pass success rate of 88% during proceedings.
Despite this, Miovski managed to sit the defender down for his goal, and the Bremen-born man was also the subject of controversy in the 55th minute.
Former Dons defender Russell Anderson shared his belief on punditry duty that Nawrocki should’ve seen red for a second bookable offence after a late challenge on Miovski that went unpunished.
Celtic defender Maik Nawrocki now eyeing EURO 2024 call-up
Nawrocki had his issues to deal with in the early part of his Celtic career following injury concerns, and it also took a while for him to convince Brendan Rodgers of his capabilities fully.
Since his admirable contribution off the bench against Rangers in December, the Poland Under-21 international has become a regular starter at Parkhead and is now beginning to deliver on his promise.
Between now and the end of his debut season, Nawrocki is now eyeing a call-up to the senior Poland side and potential involvement at EURO 2024.
The defender stated [Daily Record]: “I hope to be involved in the play-offs. First of all, I have to be playing here and doing well. But if I do that, my chances will be very high of being selected for the national team.
“That’s your dream as a kid, to play for your country. Poland have a new coach and I’m hoping to get to know him soon.
“There is competition there, too, but I’m ready for that. If I’m playing well for Celtic, I’ll have a chance. Of course the goal for me is to finish the season with trophies for Celtic and to go to Euro 2024.”
Maik Nawrocki has shown some encouraging signs at Celtic
Signed for £4.3 million last summer, Nawrocki is starting to show why he was brought to the club despite not putting in his most convincing display against Aberdeen.
Naturally, given his age, the 22-year-old is still developing as a player and will inevitably endure some growing pains despite having excellent raw attributes.
In his six league appearances for the Bhoys, he has emerged as a dominant presence in Rodgers’ backline, winning 2.2 aerial duels and making 3.2 clearances per Scottish Premiership match [WhoScored].
Given time, there is no reason why the former Legia Warsaw man can’t go on to become a valuable asset in the green and white hoops.