Celtic have once again failed in Europe, but their supremacy in the Premiership continues. A 6-1 win against Hibernian must have uplifted their spirit ahead of locking horns with Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final. The defending champions, who have dominated this fixture for years, must be aiming for another commanding win at Fir Park.
While the Hoops defeated Ross County in the previous round, the Well clinched an emphatic 4-0 win against Inverness CT to set the Wednesday night clash. They were humbled by a depleted Rangers side on Sunday afternoon and it remains to be seen how they handle the Celts’ ruthless attacking threats in this upcoming fixture.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Motherwell
Defence
Benjamin Siegrist completed a Bosman move back in the summer to challenge and cover veteran Joe Hart between the sticks. While the latter has cemented the starting role both in Europe and the League, the Swiss custodian should return to action this midweek after featuring in last round’s 4-1 win against the Staggies.
Anthony Ralston was excellent versus the Hibs and the young Scotsman must grab a start for the second consecutive fixture ahead of Josip Juranovic. Alexandro Bernabei should also keep his place after a couple of exquisite performances as a left fullback. Stephen Welsh is expected to return to action replacing Moritz Jenz and partnering with Cameron Carter-Vickers in the heart of the backline.
Midfield
David Turnbull remains sidelined with persistent injury problems, but the return of Yosuke Ideguchi is a boost given the long-term fitness woes of the Japanese midfielder. He remained as an unused substitute versus Hibernian but is likely to get some minutes at a later stage of the League Cup clash.
Oliver Abildgaard deserves a start deep down the midfield following an array of impressive cameo appearances. Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley must occupy the ‘number 8’ roles to link up between defence and attack. However, skipper Callum McGregor remains sidelined until after the World Cup after sustaining a knee injury against RB Leipzig.
Attack
Celtic have ample attacking options in their ranks and the gaffer Ange Postecoglou might undergo a selection dilemma before picking his ‘front three’ for this crucial encounter. James Forrest reached ‘the 100 club’ by netting a hattrick a couple of days back, but the veteran Scotsman could make way for Liel Abada down the right-hand flank.
Filipe Jota is still nursing an injury and the Aussie boss should opt for Daizen Maeda on the left resting Sead Hakšabanović. Kyogo Furuhashi might return to the starting XI even though Giorgos Giakoumakis fired a brace on Saturday evening.
