To say that Celtic’s trip to Motherwell on Sunday is a must-win game seems to putting things lightly. It is perhaps the most important fixture of Neil Lennon’s second spell as Celtic manager.
I doubt anyone expected that the Hoops would be travelling to Fir Park on the back of a 4-1 loss to Sparta Prague, but that is what Celtic have to contend with.
Now Neil Lennon has to rouse the side to get a vital three points in the battle to win 10 in a row. A win would show that the famous Celtic spirit is still in the heart of the current side. A draw or a defeat, and the pressure could become relentless.
The team the manager picks will be very interesting indeed. Here are who we expect the Hoops boss to select to start at Fir Park:
Recent starter will remain between the sticks
In goals, the manager has a decision to make. Stick with Scott Bain, or recall Vasilis Barkas? We predict that the Celtic boss will stick with Scott Bain. He wasn’t to blame for any of Prague’s goals, and we expect him to remain in goals.
Now to the defence. We predict that the Celtic boss will revert to a back three, as the Hoops played slightly better in that formation than in the back four.
We predict Nir Bitton will start the game, along with Hatem Elhamed, we also predict that Stephen Welsh will return to the side. It is another thrown together centre-back line-up. However, it is for the best for the struggling Shane Duffy that he is left out of the side for this one.
On the wings, Diego Laxalt and Jeremie Frimpong were two of Celtic’s better performers against Prague, expect them to start.
Middle of the park to change
Now the middle of the park. We predict that the usual partnership of Scott Brown and Callum McGregor will be broken up. David Turnbull will get the nod to start against his former team alongside Callum McGregor. The 21-year-old will be desperate to make a start, and there is no better idea than to unleash him against his old team.
Further forward, we expect Tom Rogic to keep his place in the team. He is more than capable of a bit of magic to open up Motherwell.
Up front, we predict Ryan Christie will start as a support striker to Leigh Griffiths, who has to start after his performance against Prague.
Predicted XI:Scott Bain, Stephen Welsh, Nir Bitton, Hatem Elhamed, Jeremie Frimpong, David Turnbull, Tom Rogic, Callum McGregor, Diego Laxalt, Ryan Christie, Leigh Griffiths.
In other news, Damien Duff’s Celtic exit may have affected the club more than anyone would have expected.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
