Celtic were in freefall heading into the international break and desperately need a win to change the mood music when their SPFL Premiership campaign resumes with a trip to Motherwell.
Veteran boss Martin O'Neill publicly questioned whether he had the desire to carry on after a horror week that saw the Hoops lose twice to Rangers and crash in Europe against Ferencvaros.
It was the manner of the two defeats to their bitter rivals that caused the most alarm, with Celtic looking devoid of any hunger and tactical cohesion in both games.
The good news is they still went into the international break with a two-point lead at the top of the table and O'Neill has since confirmed he's still up for the fight.
But plenty of fans wanted a changing of the guard during the three-week lay-off and will be demanding a big improvement at Fir Park.
Motherwell were flying at the start of the season under new boss Alfred Johansson but their form has nosedived too.
The Steelmen have also lost three in a row so Celtic won't be the only team looking to get back on track in Lanarkshire.
How the bookies view it: Hoops to hit back
Celtic rarely lose four games on the spin and Bet365 make them 4/7 favourites at Fir Park. Motherwell are 15/4 to pile on the pain for the champions while the draw pays 7/2.
Recent head to head: More Fir Park drama?
Celtic's last trip to Fir Park was one of the most controversial games in recent Scottish football history, with a hotly disputed last-gasp penalty handing the Hoops a 3-2 win to set the stage for a final-day title decider with Hearts.
The Steelmen won 2-0 at home to Celtic earlier in that campaign but have lost seven of their last eight games against the Parkhead club.
Players to watch: Duran to get back on song
Camilo Duran is the only player in Celtic's attack who has been a guaranteed starter this season and should get the nod either up front or out wide. The Colombian has gone five Hoops games without a goal and is 21/20 at Bet365 to end that drought.
Tawanda Maswanise hasn't replicated his goalscoring form of last season for Motherwell but that's mainly because Johansson has been playing him out wide. The Zimbabwean's pace could cause problems for Celtic and he's 6/5 to score or assist.
Probable line-ups
Callum Hendry, Jordan McGhee, John Koutroumbis and Paul McGinn look set to miss out again for Motherwell.
Winger Yang Hyun-jun is back from Asian Cup duty for Celtic but is a doubt with an injury he picked up during South Korea's triumphant campaign. Alistair Johnston, Jota and Callum Osmand are still not fit enough to return.
Motherwell: Paulsen, Girdwood-Reich, Moormann, Sparrow, Longelo, Fadinger, Lowry, Maswanhise, Said, Hodge, Palmer-Houlden.
Celtic: Sinisalo, Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Baur, Nygren, Duran, Hogh, Hassan.
Anything else catch the eye?
Games between these sides were a great watch last term and it should be a similar story this season.
New Fir Park boss Johansson plays a progressive, passing game like predecessor Jens Berthel Askou so we should see plenty of action at both ends.
Combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals pays just 8/11 but there's more value in over 1.5 first-half goals at 11/10 with Bet365.
Only one of the four meetings last term hit double figures for corners so there could be some value in backing under 10 flag kicks at 11/10.
Fir Park star Lukas Fadinger is a goal threat from midfield and he's a tempting 5/4 just to have an effort on target.
GambleAware