Celtic and Edinburgh sides hardest hit as Afcon and Asian Cup squads named

2nd Jan 2024 | Source: BBC

Hibernian's Martin Boyle and Celtic's Reo Hatate will miss game in January and February

Scottish clubs are braced to lose key players over the next few weeks after squads were confirmed for the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments.

Nearly a dozen players from the Scottish Premiership will be taking part in the Asian Cup, which starts on 12 January in Qatar, with Celtic the heaviest hit.

And five more SPFL players will be heading to training camps before Afcon starts a day later.

The tournaments overlap with the winter break in the Premiership, but players will miss some league games, including the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

Celtic's Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate are in the Japan squad for the Asian Cup, while Oh Hyeon-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun were among the 26 names picked by South Korean national coach Jurgen Klinsmann for his squad.

Oh, who has been used mainly as a substitute this season, has scored five goals in 20 appearances for Brendan Rodgers' side.

Celtic fringe player Marco Tilio has also been called up for the competition by Australia coach Graham Arnold, who has a strong Scottish Premiership contingent in his 26-man pool.

Hibernian duo Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller are in the squad alongside Hearts pair Nathaniel Atkinson and Kye Rowles, and St Mirren's Keanu Baccus.

Forfar's Roberto Nditi is among Tanzania's squad players for Afcon

Among the big surprises in the Afcon squads is Forfar Athletic defender Roberto Nditi, who has been called up by Tanzania.

Rocky Bushiri has been included in the 24-man DR Congo squad, while Jojo Wollacott of Hibs will be with Ghana, but Aberdeen striker Luis 'Duk' Lopes is an unexpected omission from the Cape Verde squad.

Forward Abdallah Sima will be available for Rangers' final game before the Premiership winter break, against Kilmarnock on Tuesday, before joining up with the Senegal squad.

Ayr United defender Frankie Musonda is part of Zambia's squad.

The Asian Cup, which is being held in Qatar, runs from 12 January to 10 February 2024, while Afcon - being staged in Ivory Coast - takes place from 13 January to 11 February.