Motherwell vs Celtic
Time – UK: 12.00 pm, India: 5.30 pm (Sunday)
Venue– Fir Park
A shocking 4-1 loss to Czech side Sparta Prague in the third match of the Europa League means Celtic face an uphill task in qualifying for the knockout rounds and now need to turn their focus elsewhere.
Club great Pat Bonner in an interview with the BBC said that the Scottish Premiership champions need to put all their focus on the league where they are going neck-to-neck with their Glasgow rivals Rangers.
The Hoops now head to Fir Park this Sunday and will try and give an under-fire Neil Lennon some respite before the international break.
Celtic have enjoyed relative success against Motherwell, scoring as many as 14 goals in the last four meetings.
However, records mean nothing and Lennon knows that better than anyone else. He will see the game as an opportunity to prove his detractors wrong and ask his players to give their all.
Motherwell vs Celtic: Recent form
Motherwell: W-W-L-L-W
Celtic: L-W-D-D-L
Callum Lang and Tony Watt’s first-half goals were enough to earn Motherwell a well-deserved 2-0 victory against Livingston in their last league outing on 31st October. The win was preceded by a 4-0 drubbing of Ross County a week before.
Stephen Robinson’s side had been on an enforced break after two of their games were postponed but they will look to hold onto their momentum when Celtic visit on Sunday.
The Hoops, on the other hand, were beaten 4-1 in midweek by Sparta Prague – a side plagued by illnesses and injuries. Moreover, the Czech outfit haven’t played any of their domestic games since early October.
Motherwell vs Celtic: Head-to-head record
Total Matches: 56
Motherwell wins: 5
Celtic wins: 43
Draws: 8
The last meeting between Motherwell and Celtic took place at Celtic Park in August this season. The match ended in a 3-0 victory for the home side, with James Forrest, Albian Ajeti, and Christopher Jullien finding the back of the net.
Motherwell vs Celtic: Team news
Motherwell
Motherwell declared earlier in the week that goalkeeper Trevor Carson would be back in action in January. Fellow custodian Scott Fox also remains sidelined with cruciate ligament rupture.
Defender Liam Donnelly underwent knee surgery while midfielder Bevis Mugabi is also expected to miss the match.
Celtic
The defending champions have defender Kristoffer Ajer and James Forrest out of the game through injuries. Mikey Johnston is back in training after recovering from a knee injury but is unlikely to feature on Sunday.
Neil Lennon might look to change the dynamics of his team in order to get the best out of his side.
Motherwell vs Celtic: Predicted line-up
Motherwell predicted XI (4-3-3): Aaron Chapman; Stephen O’Donnell, Mark O’Hara, Declan Gallagher, Nathan McGinley; Allan Campbell, Barry Maguire, Liam Polworth; Tony Watt, Devante Cole, Callum Lang
Celtic predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Scott Bain; Jeremie Frimpong, Shane Duffy, Nir Bitton, Stephen Welsh; Scott Brown, Callum McGregor; Oliver Ntcham, Ryan Christie, Mohamed Elyounoussi; Albian Ajeti
Motherwell vs Celtic: Where to watch
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports on the Sky Sports Main Event with coverage starting from 11 am.
Fans can also live stream the match on the Sky Go app.
Motherwell vs Celtic: Predictions
In spite of the relative success the Bhoys have enjoyed against Motherwell historically, they will know that the hosts can give them a run for their money on Sunday.
However, the urge to bounce back following the recent disappointments could give Celtic the edge over their opponents.
Motherwell, on the other hand, will hope to continue their impressive run. It could be a huge statement of intent if they manage a positive result against the Scottish champions.
Motherwell vs Celtic predicted scoreline: 0-1
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