Celtic surrendered a 2-0 first-half lead to settle for a draw against Aberdeen in the Premiership. But the Celts showed sheer resilience and bravery on Wednesday night as they held the hosts Atalanta to a stalemate in the UEFA Champions League. The result against the reigning Europa League winners must boost their confidence before locking horns with Motherwell on Sunday evening.
The Steelmen are off to a flying start both in the League and the League Cup, but they sustained a home defeat against Dundee in the previous gameweek. Although the North Lanarkshire side have troubled the Hoops since Stuart Kettlewell’s appointment as the Motherwell chief, the champions of Scotland managed to script late comebacks at Fir Park in their past two meetings.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Motherwell
Defence
Sensational Kasper Schmeichel made several top-notch saves against the Serie A hotshots after a few nervy appearances for his club and the country. The veteran Dane must keep his place between the sticks and aim for back-to-back clean sheets.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is closing in on an injury return. However, the gaffer Brendan Rodgers must not rush his recovery, particularly after Auston Trusty and Liam Scales’ spirited midweek performance. They must continue as the central defensive pairing. Also, the fullback duo Alistair Johnston and Alex Valle are expected to retain their starting status ahead of Maik Nawrocki, Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston. Greg Taylor’s calf strain has allowed Valle a run of games down the left-hand side of Celtic’s ‘back four’.
Midfield
Skipper Callum McGregor is irreplaceable deep down the midfield given his experience and flexibility. Celtic do not have an outright alternative for the Scotsman, but his availability week in, and week out is a massive boost in the middle of the park. Reo Hatate could make way for Paulo Bernardo as the latter has impressed so far with his box-to-box movements and technical traits in and around the attacking third. Arne Engels has cemented his starting status as Matt O’Riley’s successor, whereas the other summer signing Luke McCowan could be involved as a ‘super sub’.
Attack
Rodgers has rotated Adam Idah and Kyogo Furuhashi high up the pitch, but the Japanese ace should get the nod this time after losing his place to the Irishman for their European outing. Nicolas Kuhn has been exquisite down the right, and so is Daizen Maeda who has been a revelation from the left-hand flank with his pace, flair and high work ethic. James Forrest, Luis Palma and Yang Hyun-Jun are also capable of causing menace if deployed late in the game against tired legs.
