PART of any Old Firm apprenticeship is the ability to detect the merest whiff of a first-team opportunity. With the club shorn of cover in the right-back slot, Paul Caddis has the scent of a starting slot in his nostrils. Both Mark Wilson and Andreas Hinkel are currently sidelined and Caddis could build on his 45-minute run-out last week when Celtic face Dundee at Parkhead on Saturday.

Wilson's promising career continues to be blighted by injury, this time an ongoing pelvic problem, but one man's misfortune is another's opportunity and Caddis is primed for his chance.

"Unfortunately, Mark came off on Saturday and I stepped in," reflected Caddis. "Maybe it's the break you need. I'm sorry for Mark, but I'm ready to step in and it's now up to the manager whether I play. Right-back has been a jinxed position, even going back to when Joe Doumbe was playing and he injured himself against AC Milan last season, then I got injured. Andy Hinkel is out right now and Mark is the latest one."

Saturday's second-half run-out in the 2-2 draw with Dundee United was Caddis' sixth appearance of the season. He made his debut halfway through the last campaign and went on to play against Barcelona in the first leg of Celtic's last-16 tie in March, when he was up against Ronaldinho. However, with the presence of Wilson and Hinkel, a regular starting slot has remained elusive.

"You could say sitting out has been frustrating, but at the same time I've enjoyed things I never thought I'd experience, such as making my Champions League debut against Barcelona when I was only 19," said Caddis, who can also play right midfield. "I still have to pinch myself when it comes to things like that. I want to look forward now, not backwards, and think that's all I will ever do.

I want to get there again."

An injury to Shunsuke Nakamura could facilitate the return of Aiden McGeady at the weekend. The Japanese playmaker damaged an adductor muscle in last weekend's draw against Dundee United, though a scan revealed the damage is not serious. Nakamura will miss this weekend's Scottish Homecoming Cup tie against Dundee but hopes to return the following weekend.

McGeady has not played since the 1-1 draw with Hearts last month, when he fell out with manager Gordon Strachan and was suspended from first-team training for two weeks. Caddis is confident that the storm has passed and that everyone has moved on.

"Aiden is a good enough player to come back and make an impact," he insisted. "It's up to the manager whether he is going to play him but the boys are happy to have him back. He is a very special talent. But it is a team game because other players have stepped in and done well. To be honest, it was nothing to do with us. What happened, happened. It didn't affect the rest of the team and we got two wins during that time, including a win over Rangers at Ibrox.

"I believe they Strachan and McGeady have patched things up and it looks as if everything is fine. There have been no clashes in training or anything like that, so I don't see why he can't start with a clean slate."

The departure of Kris Boyd from Rangers to Birmingham City should indirectly boost Celtic's title chances. Boyd has scored 20 goals in 21 appearances for the Ibrox side this season but Caddis believes it will not impact on his side's focus.

"I don't think Boyd's leaving will do us any harm, but to be honest I don't think it really affects us. We're not bothered about what happens in the Rangers camp. We are just focusing on ourselves and taking things from there."

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