By Martin Dowden BSports Scotland

Inverness Caledonian Thistle's Scottish Premiership match against Celtic will go ahead after the pitch passed a Sunday morning inspection.

Caley Thistle's Dani Lopez is banned following a spitting offence.

Ryan Christie is recovering from a knee injury, while Richie Foran, Aaron Doran and Dean Brill are long-term absentees.

Inverness tweeted news of the game going ahead early on Sunday morning

Charlie Mulgrew misses out for Celtic with a recurrence of a thigh injury and captain Scott Brown is facing a lengthy lay-off with a knee problem.

Nir Bitton and Stefan Johansen return after missing Thursday's loss to Ajax through suspension.

Kris Commons, out recently with a combination of a hamstring injury and illness, will be assessed on Saturday.

Reporter's notes

It has not been a good week for Celtic. A blank at home against Kilmarnock followed by that painful exit from the Europa League with a game to spare.

Granted it was a weakened side without Scott Brown and a reshaped midfield as a result of the further absences of Nir Biton and Stefan Johansen. The performance just didn't convince that they deserved much better, other than one or two bright displays.

Patience amongst the support must be wearing thin despite leading the Premiership and being involved in all three competitions domestically. Ronny Deila might think that's crazy but that's the world he operates in.

It's unthinkable that more negative headlines would be acceptable to those travelling to the Highlands on Sunday.

Celtic beat Inverness 4-2 in August

It's a time for leadership and a number of players to step up and take some of the pressure from top-scorer Leigh Griffiths. One wonders what Celtic would do without him, despite mis-firing against Ajax. Everyone has an off night but he seems irreplaceable, or rather, the only credible option up front right now.

And enough has been written about a defence that seems almost incapable of not providing the opposition some encouragement.

Not many people would bet against Celtic retaining their title but if they do win it with the perception it's been tighter than anticipated, then it won't reflect well on the coaching staff and would suggest a lack of progress at home and abroad.

Luck plays a significant role in football and while Inverness Caledonian Thistle enjoyed a fair degree of it in their impressive campaign last season, it seems to have deserted them this term.

The significant injury list is easing but hammer blows like a last minute cross finding the net which cost them the match against Partick Thistle last week, is hampering their ability to produce consistent results.

They're positioned reasonably well if a few results can be delivered but must acknowledge that equally, the opposite might soon drag them towards danger.

Most focus this season has been off the park. John Hughes' future, the injuries and the Dani Lopez spitting incident have all been unwelcome.

On their day though they are capable of troubling most sides at home and if luck turns their way they could take something.