The former Arsenal, Liverpool and England star has looked the part in his cameos against Livingston and Kilmarnock
22:30, 20 Feb 2026
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin training on Friday
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin training on Friday(Image: SNS Group)
Martin O’Neill is ready to chuck Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting line-up this weekend in a bid to avoid a Euro hangover against Hibs.
The Celtic boss is smarting after his side suffered against Stuttgart on Thursday and now faces a colossal Premiership clash at Parkhead tomorrow. O’Neill admitted the European dream is all but over but Celts can’t afford any slip-ups in the title race with the crunch encounter with Rangers at Ibrox next weekend hard on the heels of the Europa second leg in Germany.
Oxlade-Chamberlain came off the bench in late wins against Livingston and Kilmarnock in the league but was not snapped up in time to make the European squad. O’Neill revealed the former Arsenal and Liverpool star has been working behind the scenes to build fitness and is bang in the frame to start against the Hibees.
He said: “He’s had a week of training now. That will help him immensely. He’s a good player so I think he’s got every chance of coming into this side on Sunday. He’s also a player that can lift these guys as well, in terms of his performance.”
O’Neill hopes the Ox can be a shot in the arm after the Euro misery in the 4-1 Stuttgart slaughter.
He said: “We’re naturally disappointed, of course we are. I don’t want to hide the disappointment. But it’s a lesson for us tonight in many aspects. I got a big lesson in Midtjylland. These Stuttgart boys are strong. They’re physically very, very strong. They’re in the top four in the Bundesliga.
“So I don’t want us to be down. Yes, I want us to be really disappointed. Because if you’re coming out of this game and you’re singing then you’ve got the whole game wrong. But I don’t want us to be totally deflated. If we are that becomes a problem on Sunday. I don’t need deflation to help it.
“It would have still been a huge game regardless of the scoreline the other night. Anyway, the focus has got to be on that. I’ve been asked the question in the last couple of weeks and we’ve got here now. We want to try and compete in European matches.
“But really now this game is very, very important for us. Listen, maybe speak to me about that on Saturday morning. But I don’t think it will be a massive worry.
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill
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Celtic boss Martin O'Neill(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“I didn’t talk too much about the game the other night. We ran through some of the good and some of the bad things that we’ve done. But I don’t think it will be a problem for us getting up for the game.”
O’Neill was fuming on Thursday at the fans’ protest that held up the Stuttgart clash moments after kick-off and insisted the delay had an impact on his players.
And he’s hoping there will be no similar distractions against Hibs as he eyes three points to remain in the title hunt.
O’Neill said: “Well, I would hope that, absolutely. Because it could have the same effect. I don’t think it does anybody any good, a disruption of a game like that. I cannot stop people shouting whatever they want to shout at the end of the day.
“But that disrupting the game doesn’t help psychologically or in any other aspect.”
Club chiefs and fan groups are still at loggerheads with the Green Brigade section still banned despite showdown talks in midweek.
O’Neill would love a truce but he said: “I genuinely don’t know. I know that we’re trying, seriously. Brian Wilson (interim chairman) has got the club at heart.
“He’s a really good speaker, he’s a fair-minded man at the end of it all. We thought that we might have been making a bit of progress. The other night might be something separate.
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“Again, I don’t know. But all I’m saying is that a disruption really doesn’t help. It doesn’t help because if I’m a Stuttgart player and the game’s disrupted for three minutes I’m thinking, ‘Oh, all’s not right here’.”