CELTIC rediscovered their shooting boots to smash six past Hibs at the weekend and will be looking to take their ruthless streak into this League Cup quarter-final with Motherwell.
The poor finishing that had cost the Hoops dear in their Champions League matches was conspicuous by its absence on Saturday as they battered the Hibees 6-1 to stay top of the Premiership.
James Forrest stole the spotlight with a hat-trick as Ange Postecoglou's decision to ring the changes paid off, with his side playing with trademark verve and energy again.
The Hoops boss has been rotating a lot during a demanding schedule so expect more alterations for this cup tie as Celtic continue their defence of the trophy they won last season.
Parkhead punters would have been hoping Motherwell could do them a favour by beating title rivals Rangers on Sunday, with confidence fragile in the Ibrox ranks after a 7-1 thrashing by Liverpool.
But despite Gers turning in a poor performance, Stevie Hammell's side didn't have enough quality to punish them, although they did score late on to bring up two bets for our man Mark in a 2-1 defeat.
Hammell made a decent start after replacing Graham Alexander at Fir Park but it's now four defeats in five for Motherwell and they will need to up their game massively to avoid a cup exit.
How the bookies view it
Motherwell have been written off with Paddy Power pricing them at 11/2 to qualify and the odds increasing to 17/2 at Coral for a win in 90 minutes. Celtic's best price to go through is a tiny 1/7 at Bet365 and they're 1/3 with SportingIndex to finish the job without extra time or penalties. The draw at 90 minutes pays 17/4 at SkyBet.
Recent head to head
These sides faced off less than three weeks ago in the Premiership, with Celtic edging a 2-1 win at Parkhead. That made it 13 wins in a row for the Hoops in this fixture since a 1-1 draw at Fir Park in 2018. This is the first time the teams have faced off in the League Cup since the 2017 final, with Celtic winning 2-0 at Hampden.
Players to watch
I'd expect more changes from Postecoglou and Kyogo Furuhashi should get the nod to start up front. The Japanese striker has been off the boil of late but remains a class act and is evens at SkyBet for anytime scorer.
Motherwell will pin their hopes on Kevin van Veen again. The Dutchman has hit double figures already and netted a hat-trick in the last round of the cup as the Steelmen battered Inverness 4-0. He's 3/1 at Paddy Power for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic haven't been collecting clean sheets of late and I've cashed in by backing BTTS in their last two domestic games against St Johnstone and Hibs. But they've been looking more solid at the back since Cameron Carter-Vickers returned to partner Moritz Jens in defence and only a comedy own goal stopped them from keeping a clean sheet last time out against Well.
Hammell's side also looked poor going forward against Rangers on Sunday so a Hoops win to nil appeals here at 5/4 with BetVictor. The holders are also 19/20 with Ladbrokes to be winning at half-time and full-time which looks like decent value.
Postecoglou's side are always good value in the corner market and backing them in the handicap paid off for me at the weekend. I can see any handicap markets yet for this one though and you have to go to over 11 match corners to get into odds-against territory at 11/10 with Bet365.
Paul McGinn has picked up five yellows for Motherwell this season and will have his work cut out against Celtic's speedy wide men. That makes him a good candidate for a card at 9/4 with Bet365.
This Scottish League Cup match between Motherwell and Celtic will be played on Oct 19, 2022 and kick off at 18:15. Check below for our tipsters best Motherwell vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
