MOTHERWELL gave Rangers an almighty scare at Ibrox last weekend and will now be looking to make life difficult for the other side of the Old Firm as Celtic come calling in the SPFL Premiership.
Our man Mark saw one of his bets come up as Gers pinched a 1-0 victory over the Steelmen but the fact the Ibrox side were booed off and Michael Beale then ripped into his players told you everything about how that match panned out.
Motherwell merited a draw at least but couldn't find a way past Jack Butland as they lost 1-0 for the second week in a row, having seen St Mirren end their unbeaten start to the Premiership at Fir Park a week earlier.
It's perhaps no surprise a lack of finishing prowess cost Stuart Kettlewell in those two matches, given injuries have robbed him of Conor Wilkinson, Jon Obika and exciting Arsenal loanee Mika Biereth.
Now the Fir Park boss has to rouse his players for the visit of the champions and it's another tough assignment with Celtic finally starting to hit their stride again under Brendan Rodgers.
After crashing out of the League Cup to Kilmarnock and drawing 0-0 at home to St Johnstone, the return of Rodgers to the Parkhead dugout was threatening to turn sour.
But an Old Firm win at Ibrox against the odds was the perfect way to respond and although the Hoops lost 2-0 to Feyenoord in their Champions League opener it was no disgrace, especially after losing two players to red cards.
Celtic went down a man again at the weekend when keeper Joe Hart was sent off after just 30 minutes in their clash with Livingston and you feared for them after such a draining European match in midweek.
But instead of letting their 1-0 lead slip, the Hoops eased to a 3-0 victory as they turned in their best display of the season and brought up another bet for Slips Tips. With key players starting to come back from injury and new signings settling in, things are suddenly looking much rosier for Rodgers.
How the bookies view it
Celtic are heavy favourites for this one at 1/3 with most firms while Motherwell are as big as 17/2 with Ladbrokes. The draw is also pretty hefty at a best 9/2 with William Hill.
Recent head to head
Motherwell claimed a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park when these sides last faced off in April but the Hoops had dominated before that, winning 15 games in a row against the Steelmen. You have to go back to the 2015 for Motherwell's last win in this fixture, a 2-1 triumph at Parkhead, and they haven't beaten Celtic at Fir Park since 2013.
Players to watch
With Motherwell lacking punch in attack, they're relying on their midfielders to chip in with a few goals. Blair Spittal is always a threat and he's 6/1 at Bet365 for a third goal of the season.
Daizen Maeda stole the headlines at Livingston last week, with a stunning strike at the end capping another tireless display. The Japanese forward sometimes lacks an end product but he's always in the thick of the action. Maeda scored on his last trip to Fir Park and is 11/8 with Bet365 to repeat the trick.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic have kept clean sheets in their last four domestic matches, despite missing key defender Cameron Carter-Vickers. They still don't look totally convincing at the back though so it could pay to back BTTS in this one at 19/20 with Bet365.
Penalties have been awarded in Celtic's last three games and there's often a bit of VAR drama in Premiership games. That makes betting on a spot-kick in this game a decent option but I've yet to see any prices.
There are a few corner markets though and that's always worth a look for Celtic's games. We only saw six at Livingston but that was probably down to the fact Rodgers' side had to play with 10 men for so long. Most of their domestic games have hit double figures and backing over 10 corners in this one pays 11/10 with Bet365.
This Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic will be played on Sep 30, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. 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.
