Vaclav Cerny is in a race to be fit for Besiktas's Europa League trip to Celtic next week after picking up a knee injury. The former Rangers winger was substituted in the second half of Besiktas's latest win over Basaksehir, in which ex-Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-Gyu opened the scoring.
Cerny's fitness and Parkhead return
The 29-year-old Czech is due to line up for Besiktas in the Europa League next week as he returns to Glasgow. He faced a Police Scotland probe after spraying Celtic fans with a water bottle while celebrating his team's late winner in a 3-2 victory at Parkhead in March last year. No further action was taken on Cerny, who was on loan from Wolfsburg at the time.
Besiktas manager Vincenzo Italiano said: "Vaclav Cerny took a blow, but he was lucky because it was near the knee tendon and not on it. If it had hit the tendon, it could have been a big problem. We are hopeful he will recover quickly."
Bernardo's tough Polish challenge
Meanwhile, Hoops loan star Paulo Bernardo admits he has been stunned by how tough Polish football is, even though he is challenging for the title with Gornik Zabrze. The Portuguese midfielder was allowed to leave the Scottish champions in the last window and opted for a season-long loan to Poland.
Bernardo has won plenty of praise for his performances for Gornik Zabrze, who are aiming to win the title for the first time since 1988. His club have a reported option to buy him for £3 million at the end of the season, and the 24-year-old ex-Benfica player admits he was surprised at the quality of the Polish League.
He said: "It's very difficult for me. I never imagined it would be this tough. Even though we are challenging for the top of the league, there are no easy matches for us. We always have to be 100 per cent committed, otherwise we draw or lose. But I am very happy to be here and I know I can continue to develop in it. I am enjoying it in Poland because we are playing a match every three days or so. The only frustrating thing for me here is that I have not managed to score yet. I have to keep working, trying, creating chances and running into spaces where I can shoot. I hope this will pay off soon and I can score my first goal for the club."
