Motherwell vs Celtic Predictions
Motherwell and Celtic meet at Fir Park on Sunday as Premiership action resumes after the international break.
Both sides have lost their last three competitive fixtures, but Celtic have the experience to bounce back to winning form.
An away win with at least two goals looks like the best value bet at Fir Park.
Celtic's Away Form Points to Victory
- Celtic won their last 6 away matches (Premiership)
- Celtic scored 2+ goals in 5 of their last 6 away matches (Premiership)
- Celtic won 7 of their last 8 matches against Motherwell
- Motherwell conceded 2+ goals in 7 of their last 8 matches against Celtic
- Motherwell lost their last 3 matches (Premiership)
Celtic Dominate Motherwell in Recent H2H
Motherwell and Celtic have met on 22 occasions in competitive fixtures since 2020. Celtic won 19 of those matches while Motherwell secured just one victory.
The Scottish champions secured a vital 3-2 win on their last visit to Fir Park in May. Kelechi Iheanacho scored a stoppage-time penalty to settle a dramatic contest.
Motherwell Return After Dundee Defeat
Motherwell return to Fir Park after a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Dundee in their last Premiership fixture three weeks ago.
Joe Westley's penalty and a Bradley Fink header put the hosts two goals ahead before Alex Lowry reduced the deficit shortly before half-time.
Despite dominating the ball, the Steelmen were unable to find an equaliser after the break. Alfred Johansson's side dominated possession (63% to 37%), but Dundee had more efforts on target (6-4).
Motherwell endured a poor run of form before the recent international break. The Lanarkshire side slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Rangers and a dismal 4-0 home loss against Aberdeen.
Johansson’s men scored just once in those three matches, conceding seven goals in the process.
Over a longer period, the Well lost six and won just one of their last eight fixtures. Sunday’s hosts conceded an average of 2.25 goals per game in those contests.
A dismal recent record against Celtic offers little encouragement. Motherwell conceded 22 goals while losing seven of their eight most recent encounters.
Celtic Seek Response After Derby Setback
Celtic make the short trip to Motherwell after a woeful 1-0 home defeat against Rangers in their last Premiership fixture.
Ryan Naderi’s first-half goal secured the points for the Gers as the Hoops suffered their first Premiership loss of the season.
Martin O'Neill's side struggled to create much in a particularly flat home performance. The Hoops finished the contest with just one effort on target.
Rangers should have scored more, with final match stats reflecting their dominance at Parkhead. Derek McInnes’s side registered three times as many shots (15-5) and finished with a significantly higher xG (1.75 to 0.39).
The defeat completed a miserable week for the Scottish champions. Celtic lost 3-0 at Rangers in the League Cup seven days earlier before a 3-1 home reversal against Ferencvaros in the Europa League.
Despite their dip in form, the Hoops remain top of the Premiership with 18 points from seven matches. O'Neill's side won six successive league games before their Old Firm setbacks.
On the road, Celtic have remained reliable in Scotland, with victories picked up in all but one of their last eight away domestic matches.
Motherwell vs Celtic Team News
Motherwell: (4-2-3-1) Alex Paulsen; Tom Sparrow, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Martin Moormann, Emmanuel Longelo; Lukas Fadinger, Joe Hodge; Tawanda Maswanhise, Alex Lowry, Ibrahim Said; Seb Palmer-Houlden.
Motherwell boss Johansson has several selection issues to deal with. John Koutroumbis, Oscar Priestman, Jordan McGhee, Callum Hendry and Paul McGinn are all doubtful to feature this weekend.
Jardell Kanga and Regan Charles-Cook are among those who could earn first-team recalls.
Johansson played down talk of a crisis at Celtic, insisting Motherwell face a difficult test against the league leaders on Sunday.
"I find it quite strange when the team that is number one in the table, they lose a couple of games and then it's a crisis," Johansson told Sky Sports. "I don't buy it.
"The team that we'll face on Sunday is so talented. They have so much quality in their team and in their staff, so obviously it's going to be a very tough game, and we need to make sure that we are the best version that we can be rather than thinking about them, so that's going to be our task.
"We expect the atmosphere to be great. We expect two teams that want to play football on the pitch. Massive, exciting."
Celtic: (3-4-2-1) Viljami Sinisalo; Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales; Colby Donovan, Callum McGregor, Mika Baur, Kieran Tierney; Luke McCowan, Benjamin Nygren; Camilo Duran.
Celtic boss O’Neill has some fitness concerns this weekend. Benjamin Nygren is doubtful after returning early from international duty with illness, while Yang Hyun-Jun picked up a hamstring issue with South Korea.
Long-term absentee Jota played 45 minutes against Falkirk in a friendly as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand have resumed training but are unlikely to feature.
O'Neill reaffirmed his desire to lead Celtic to the league title despite a difficult run of results at home and in Europe.
"I am extremely prepared now for it," O'Neill said in a club interview. "We had a difficult week. That can happen. You can lose to your arch-rivals; you can lose the European game.
"It's certainly not the end of the world as it seemed to be described as. I thought I would take a bit of time, and it didn't take me that much time to think about it.
"I want to lead the club, I want to try to win the league, and I'm just as determined now than ever before."