Celtic and Hearts could turn to the SPFL during the Asian Cup with the rulebook opening the door for both clubs to request fixture postponements next season.
The tournament is set to run from January 12 and February 10, 2024 while the Scottish Premiership calendar is well underway. The winter break next term is currently expected to run from January 3 to January 19, but both the Parkhead side and Tynecastle outfit could see their ranks diminished for a crucial two week spell during the packed post break fixture list.
Ange Postecoglou could be without as many as eight players for the tournament, with Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Yuki Kobayashi all hoping to get the call up for Japan. Tomoki Iwata, who is on loan at Celtic from Yokohama F Marinos, could also miss out if his loan deal is made permanent, while Yosuke Ideguchi is likely to be back from the J-League when his loan at Avispa Fukuoka comes to an end.
