Celtic are set to defend their newly obtained first position in the Scottish Premiership table against Motherwell on Sunday. The Celts put up an impressive first-half display against Rangers to move above them on the table. Motherwell, on the other hand, fought back and found a late equalizer against a stubborn St. Mirren side.
Motherwell are presently 10 points behind Hearts in third place, with only one win in their previous five games. They have been able to keep their position in the rankings due to the poor results of the clubs below them. They have 33 points from 24 games and need a convincing victory to keep their place in the top four.
Motherwell dominated the game against St. Mirren and also attempted a total of 13 shots on goal. They had seven shots on target, but they failed to convert these chances and had to dig deep to find an equalizer in the 90th minute. They were highly effective on the right flank as most of their shots from the right were on target. They had seven shots from inside the box, and four of these efforts were on target. Motherwell can focus on progressing into the final third through counterattacks and can give a tough fight to their opponents if they can follow up on this strategy.
With 57 points from 24 games, Celtic are presently in first place in the Premiership table. They are only one point ahead of last year’s champions and will try to keep the distance between the two clubs as wide as possible. Celtic led Rangers 3-0 at halftime, after two goals from Reo Hatate and Liel Abada in the first half, while Celtic held off Rangers’ attempts in the second half to keep their unbeaten home record intact.
The above shot map shows us the positions of the shots that Celtic attempted in their most recent game against Rangers. The visual indicates that Celtic were very clinical in the penalty area and had most of their efforts from inside the penalty area on target. They had a very high shot on target percentage and were also able to get into great positions inside the box. Reo Hatate scored with both his shots on goal and continues his impressive start in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic have scored the most goals in the league and are without a doubt, the best attacking team so far. They have been ruthless in the final third, and that was seen in the game against Rangers. Motherwell are one of the weakest defenses in the league, and have conceded 33 goals so far, which is the third-highest number of goals conceded. Celtic have attempted the most through passes in the league. They have completed 36.4% of the through passes they have attempted and can break through any defense in the league.
Celtic will want to cement their position at the top of the table and with Rangers facing a tough opposition like Hearts, the Celts have a golden opportunity to extend their lead. Motherwell have struggled to get results recently, and a draw against a team like Celtic, who are in top form, would be a good result for the Steelmen.
Motherwell predicted starting line-up:
Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Henderson, Power, Ronan, Tanser, McGrath, Brophy, Kiltie.
Celtic predicted starting line-up:
Hart, Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor, O’Riley, McGregor, Hatate, Abada, Jota, Giakoumakis.
