Jens Berthel Askou has said that the present Celtic team are ‘similar’ to the one under Brendan Rodgers.
Askou is yet to face a Hoops side managed by Martin O’Neill. Rodgers prevailed 3-2 when the managers met in October, and Motherwell played Wilfried Nancy’s Celts off the park in December.
In the Fir Park boss’ mind, there is no doubt that this is a totally different Celtic team to the one that was so comprehensively beaten in Lanarkshire.
Regardless, he feels that the experience from the dramatic game last time out in Glasgow will be of benefit to his players.
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Jens Berthel Askou says Celtic team similar to Brendan Rodgers side
Askou said at his press conference: “I think I’ll be facing a Celtic team that is a lot more like the one we faced the first time than the one we faced the second time.
“Obviously Martin and the rest of the staff [have] done well in terms of trying to get them back on track in a very hectic time, and they have done well.
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“Some of the things they are doing are very similar to what they were used to when Brendan was there, with a few minor things adjusted that we have obviously looked into.
“[They have] a ton of experience [in the dugout] to guide them through when we try to challenge them with what we can do.
“So I expect it to be a very tough game, a difficult game in obviously the same scenery as we played against [them in] the first time.
“But the good thing is, now, that we have a little bit of experience being there and also having something to lose, and getting that pressure against us from both the stands, but also the quality that they can throw at us from all sides.”
In that game at Celtic Park, the hosts took the lead through a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty, but the Steelmen turned it around thanks to a double from Apostolos Stamatelopoulous.
With Askou edging closer to a historic win, his style of football backfired when goalkeeper Callum Ward passed the ball straight to Benjamin Nygren who promptly equalised from inside the ‘Well box.
Motherwell hearts were broken in injury time, when a rare Michel-Ange Balikwisha assist allowed Daizen Maeda to secure the win with a diving header.
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If Motherwell can win on Saturday, they will move within just two points of Celtic, reinstating their title hopes after a major slip-up at Dens Park last week.
Regardless, the possibility of a summer raid by Celtic is impossible to ignore. Askou is a strong candidate for the Parkhead hotseat, earning countless endorsements from pundits.
Aside from their manager, Motherwell top-scorer Tawanda Maswanhise was also widely linked with Celtic in the summer, but the club were insistent that he was not for sale.
More recently, credible reports have said that Elijah Just is a Celtic target, and making the New Zealand midfielder another to keep your eye on at Paradise this weekend.
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