The international break is finally over, meaning Celtic will be back in action this weekend as they welcome the visit of Motherwell to Parkhead this afternoon.
Both sides are in contrasting form heading into this one, with Celtic building up lots of momentum domestically whilst Stuart Kettlewell’s side haven’t won since a victory at Tynecastle over Hearts back in early September.
The Steelmen pushed Celtic all the way in the previous meeting between the two sides this season as the Hoops required a 97th minute Matt O’Riley goal to see them over the line at Fir Park, but they will be hoping for a relatively stress-free and comfortable victory this time round as they will have one eye on the trip to Rome to face Lazio on Tuesday.
GK – Joe Hart
The English stopper hasn’t been tested much over the last few domestic encounters and will be hoping for another quiet afternoon, which may be expected given the away side’s poor form.
RB – Alistair Johnston
Johnston has been a solid and dependable defender for Celtic this season and will be looking to get involved in the Celtic attack whilst completing his defensive duties.
CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers
The American centre-back played the full 90 minutes on two separate occasions over the international break, keeping a clean sheet in the first of a double-header against Trinidad and Tobago and will be looking to continue to build up momentum over the next few weeks.
CB – Liam Scales
Scales played the full 90 minutes against the Netherlands in a European Championship qualifier, turning in a good display despite the defeat. He will be looking to continue his upward trajectory he has been on this season with another composed display against Motherwell.
LB – Greg Taylor
Taylor got some rare starts for the Scotland national team due to a number of injuries in the full-back areas. Whilst the team did concede five goals in those two games, Taylor turned in a solid display in Tbilisi against Georgia and will be looking to carry over that international experience to club level.
CM – Matt O’Riley
The Dane got his first cap for the national team during the international break, and will be oozing confidence as he continues his incredible start to the season.
CM – Callum McGregor
The captain was awarded player-of-the-match in the 3-3 draw with Norway mid-week and will be looking to turn in a composed and assured display before the massive test against Lazio on Tuesday.
CM – Odin Holm
The Norwegian impressed enough in his start against Aberdeen a few weeks ago to warrant another start as he looks to nail down his place in the team ahead of the trip to Rome next week.
RW – Yang Hyun-jun
The South Korea has been showing a lot more elements to his game over the last few weeks, especially from starting positions as he looks to prove he is much more than an impact player. There are places up for grabs in this team due to the current crop of injuries the club faces, and Yang looks to be one of the beneficiaries of that.
ST – Kyogo Furuhashi
The Japanese forward took a sore one against Aberdeen, but after being spotted in the most recent training images released by the club, he should be fit and firing for tomorrow’s fixture.
LW – Luis Palma
Palma has been one of the standout performers for Celtic over the last few weeks and has demonstrated some impressive finishing abilities. He is going from strength to strength and only looks to be upping his game with every passing fixture.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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