Motherwell host Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon and it promises to be an interesting Fir Park contest.
The Steelmen lost goal-machine Kevin van Veen in the summer and Stuart Kettlewell is still striving for a formula to replace the 25 goals that the Dutchman notched last term.
Celtic were dumped out of the Scottish League Cup at Kilmarnock and that was followed by a 0-0 draw with St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.
The Bhoys had seemed to have lost their free-flowing start, but after edging Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox, Brendan Rodgers’ men have at least put successive 3-0 wins together in the Scottish Premiership and will be hoping for more of the same.
Team news
Calum Butcher, Mika Biereth and Jon Obika are likely to miss the visit of Celtic, but Pape Souare did return to training this week and the left-back could be on the bench this weekend.
Centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers is yet to return to training and will not make the trip to Fir Park.
Celtic are also without injured quartet Maik Nawrocki, Liel Abada, Stephen Welsh, and Marco Tilio. Keeper Joe Hart is suspended after his red card at Livingston last weekend with Scott Bain expected to deputise in goal.
Motherwell/draw double chance @ 12/5
Celtic remain the dominant force in the Scottish Premiership and its early days in the second reign of Rodgers. However, the Bhoys haven’t looked the same since the excellent Ange Postecoglou left for Tottenham and the Hoops look too short at Fir Park.
It’s a big ask for Motherwell to hold off the Bhoys, but it was a difficult job for Kilmarnock to knock Celtic out of the Scottish League Cup and Killie pulled it off.
St Johnstone have collected just a single point from their opening six SPL games and that draw was collected against an out-of-sorts Celtic.
Of course, Rodgers has the talent at his disposal to blow sides away, as Celtic did when hammering Livingston 3-0 last time out, but that doesn’t look as certain to be repeated as the prices suggest and the Steelmen are a superior side to Livi.
Motherwell have lost only two games this season and they were two narrow 1-0 reversals against Rangers and an in-form St Mirren side.
Kettlewell’s men have beaten Hibernian and Kilmarnock at home this season and they can be backed, with the draw on side, this weekend.
Under 2.5 goals @ 5/4
The goals line is pretty high at Fir Park, and that is because Celtic are in town, but if the Bhoys are to be given a tough time by the Steelmen, under 2.5 goals looks a bet.
There have been only three goals in Motherwell’s last three Scottish Premiership matches and there was also just a single strike when the Well travelled to St Mirren in the League Cup.
Celtic were scoring for fun last term, but only two of their last six games have busted the 2.5 mark and under looks the play in North Lanarkshire.
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