Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action when they host Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides will be looking for positive momentum in the league, as Celtic aim to close the gap on leaders Hearts, while Motherwell seek to build on their unbeaten start to the season.
Celtic vs Motherwell – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: 5th October, Sunday.
- Kick-off: 3pm BST.
- Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow.
Celtic Team News
Celtic remain without Alistair Johnston (hamstring), though he has resumed individual training. Jota continues to miss out due to a knee injury.
Kasper Schmeichel is under scrutiny after errors, notably against Braga in the Europa League. Kieran Tierney may also see his starting role challenged as Brendan Rodgers assesses options.
Kelechi Iheanacho is expected to retain his place up front after his strong performance against Braga, despite having a goal controversially ruled out by VAR.
Motherwell Team News
Motherwell welcome back captain Paul McGinn to their defence following his recovery from injury. The experienced defender’s return provides a boost to Jens Berthel Askou’s backline. Stephen Welsh cannot face his parent club Celtic and will miss the fixture. Elijah Just, Tom Sparrow, Callum Hendry and Callum Slattery have all returned to training this week, with manager Askou hopeful that at least one could be available for selection.
Long-term absentees include Sam Nicholson and Filip Stuparevic (both knee), Eseosa Sule and Jordan McGhee (both thigh), and Zach Robinson (Achilles).
Form
Celtic
Celtic’s recent form has been inconsistent following their disappointing elimination from the Champions League. The Hoops drew 0-0 with both Rangers and Hibernian in their last two league outings, before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Braga in the Europa League on Thursday. Brendan Rodgers’ side sit second in the Scottish Premiership with 14 points from six matches, five points behind surprise leaders Hearts.
Despite their European setback, Celtic remain unbeaten in domestic league action and will be eager to return to winning ways at home, where they have an excellent recent record following European fixtures.
Motherwell
The Well have enjoyed an impressive start under new manager Jens Berthel Askou, remaining unbeaten in six Scottish Premiership matches with one win and five draws. This represents their best unbeaten start to a league season since the 2012-13 campaign.
Motherwell secured their first league victory of the campaign last weekend with a dramatic 2-0 win over Aberdeen. Johnny Koutroumbis scored in the 92nd minute before Apostolos Stamatelopoulos added a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time. The visitors have also impressed in cup competition, reaching the Scottish League Cup semi-finals where they’ll face St Mirren.
Predicted Lineups
Celtic: Schmeichel; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Saracchi; Nygren, McGregor, Hatate; Maeda, Iheanacho, Tounekti
Motherwell: Ward; O’Donnell, Gordon, Welsh, Longelo; Fadinger, Watt; Maswanhise, Said, Osong; Stamatelopoulos
How to Watch Celtic vs Motherwell?
UK fans can follow the match live on BBC Scotland and BBC Radio Scotland.
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