Preview: Celtic vs. Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

Arguably the prime of the Boxing Day fixtures successful the Scottish Premiership volition spot league leaders Celtic taking connected fourth-placed Motherwell astatine Celtic Park.

Celtic volition extremity 2024 astatine the acme of the league standings careless of the result implicit the last 2 matches of the year, portion Motherwell volition beryllium looking to gully person to the apical 3 earlier the crook of the calendar.

Match preview

© Imago

Celtic are enjoying different fantabulous play successful the Scottish apical flight, starring the league standings by 9 points earlier Christmas and yet to sensation decision aft 16 games successful the campaign.

The Hoops besides delivered an aboriginal contiguous for their fans, securing the League Cup rubric by beating arch-rivals Rangers connected penalties, aft a thrilling 90 minutes saw the Old Firm derby extremity 3-3.

However, Brendan Rodgers's broadside dropped points for lone the 2nd clip this play implicit the play erstwhile they were incapable to flooded Dundee United connected the roadworthy contempt signaling 78% possession and firing 17 shots astatine extremity compared to their opponents' two.

Now backmost connected their location patch, wherever they person been fantabulous lately, winning each of their past 3 matches without conceding, the Bhoys volition beryllium firmly expecting to resume concern arsenic accustomed by getting backmost successful the triumph column, and successful doing so, they volition besides widen their unbeaten tally astatine Celtic Park to 18 league matches.

The hosts won the past lucifer betwixt these sides 3-0 connected the roadworthy successful their past gathering and are unbeaten successful their past 28 league encounters against this hostile dating backmost to December 2015.

© Imago

Meanwhile, aft ending each of the past 2 seasons successful the bottommost fractional of the league standings, Motherwell volition beryllium reasonably pleased with their instrumentality up to Christmas, presently connected 26 points and trailing third-placed Aberdeen by eight.

The Steelmen played retired a 1-1 gully against Kilmarnock past clip out, extending their existent unbeaten streak successful the apical formation to three, pursuing back-to-back wins implicit St. Mirren and Dundee United.

Liam Gordon scored his archetypal extremity of the play to springiness the Well the pb successful the past match, but they were pegged backmost midway done the 2nd fractional and recovered themselves having to bent successful the closing stages aft being reduced to 10 men successful the 77th minute.

Stuart Kettlewell's broadside person divided their 8 distant league games 4 wins and 4 defeats this season, but notably, they were capable to gain a stock of the spoils successful their past 2 visits to Celtic Park, with some matches ending successful 1-1 draws.

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

Team News

© Imago

Celtic person conscionable 1 subordinate expected to miss this lucifer successful the signifier of Odin Thiago Holm, who sustained a calf wounded backmost successful September and volition lone instrumentality to the grooming successful the New Year.

Nicolas Kuhn was fixed the day disconnected against Dundee United implicit the play but should instrumentality this week to pb the enactment alongside Japanese strike-duo Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda.

For the visitors, centre-forward Zach Robinson ruptured his Achilles successful grooming astatine the commencement of the period and is facing a lengthy play connected the sidelines having underwent country a mates of weeks ago.

Dan Casey was the subordinate sent disconnected successful the past lucifer and volition service his one-match suspension this week, portion Paul McGinn (thigh), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Jack Vale (calf) and Callum Slattery (knee) are each ruled retired with injuries.

Celtic imaginable starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor; Bernardo, McGregor, Hatate; Maeda, Furuhashi, Kuhn

We say: Celtic 3-1 Motherwell

While Motherwell person managed to instrumentality a constituent from their past 2 visits to this venue, Celtic volition beryllium determined to instrumentality to winning ways aft that 0-0 gully distant to Dundee United past weekend.

The Hoops person not dropped points successful consecutive league games successful implicit a year, and we consciousness they volition widen that grounds by picking up their 15th triumph of the play successful this one.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer please click here.

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