Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong are both out of Scotland's crucial double header against Slovakia and Slovenia next week - with both players also in a sweat to be fit for Celtic's UEFA Champions League game against Bayern Munich later this month.

Armstrong pulled up in the warm-up in Brussels on Wednesday evening while Brown went off in the second period after appearing to pull his hamstring.

The Celtic captain had originally anticipated that the injury wasn't particularly serious as his exit was more a precautionary measure, however it appears that he will face a three-week lay off.

"I’m obviously disappointed for them, on both fronts really," said Rodgers. "The frustration in it is that they are not like six-week injuries either. They are injuries which are probably a few weeks, all being well. So it’s just this window now of this next week, it’s just absolutely so unlucky for us and their availability for tomorrow but also for Scotland, which is a huge loss.

"It’s something that I’ve tried to do, which you have seen. We have played a lot of games and people wonder why you make changes but you’re always trying to manage the availability of a player.

"Someone like Browny is better in rhythm, so the more games he plays the better he is and his body is used to it. Guys like Stuart you see becoming a full international now, that’s not just a physical loading on him but a mental loading as well.

"I’ve tried to manage that since the summer really, because of so many games. You take him out against Dundee and play him against Rangers, give him a breather for part of the game against Anderlecht, that was the plan, to then introduce him into the game when the game opens up a bit, knowing he could then play at the weekend and been ready for the two Scotland games.

"So you’re always trying to manage the physicality and the loading of the players. Stewart just felt it in the warm-up and then he tried in the game he tried to go out and warm-up but it was too stiff. So it’s really unfortunate.

“Browny is a recurrence of an injury he had maybe 18 months ago at the top of his hamstring. It’s really, really unfortunate.”

Asked if his captain was liable to be back in time for the trip to Munich, where Celtic play Bayern on October 18th, Rodgers admitted that it might be a push.

"Hopefully," he said. "We would hope certainly, if not then then the Hibs semi-final.”

And while the injuries are inevitably frustrating on the part of both player and manager Rodgers doesn't anticipate any lasting damage done by the time in the treatment room.

“I think this is something natural, it’s just unfortunate," said the Celtic manager. "Listen, the rest is good, don’t get me wrong. Him coming out of it is not going to break his rhythm. Once you’re in the games the rhythm is good for him and every now and again you take him out of a game which we did earlier on in the season. So he will be fine by the time he comes back it’s just unfortunate.”