Celtic will be looking to keep up their terrific record against Motherwell when the Hoops face the Steelmen in the Scottish Premiership tonight.
Late goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada handed Celtic a 4-2 win over Dundee United in their last outing, and following Rangers' 2-1 loss against St. Johnstone, the Hoops now sit seven points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Ange Postecoglou's side now have the chance to maintain or even add to that lead when they face Motherwell at Fir Park.
Celtic enter the clash with a fantastic record against tonight's hosts, with the Hoops having won the last 14 meetings in all competitions - the last defeat against Motherwell came all the way back in 2015. Postecoglou only has one injury problem currently, with Callum McGregor remaining on the sidelines.
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So, what line-up will Postecoglou go with? And, what will the final score be? We simulated the game to try and find out. To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the Celtic squad with the latest injuries and suspensions.
Motherwell vs Celtic simulated
We predict that Celtic could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; Mooy, O’Riley, Haksabanovic; Abada, Furuhashi, Jota.
We predict that the hosts could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kelly; O'Donnell, Johansen, Lamie, Penney; Slattery, Goss; Shield, Spittal, McKinstry; Van Veen.
It was important for Celtic to start the game strong at Fir Park, and they did just that, with the Hoops taking the lead after just four minutes. Furuhashi grabbed the goal, with the early strike setting up the visitors for the rest of the game.
Celtic had all of the possession in the opening stages, and a well-worked team move saw Aaron Mooy play a perfectly weighted through ball to Furuhashi on the edge of the box. After taking one touch in his stride, the striker drilled his shot across the goal, flying past the 'keeper and into the far corner.
The dominance continued from Celtic straight after the goal, with Furuhashi testing the 'keeper from range and almost scoring a second in as many minutes. Jota was looking dangerous out on the left, and the winger made it 2-0 early on.
A long ball forward down the right saw Furuhashi leave his position to pick up the ball, prompting Jota to fill the gap left by the striker. A clever backheel from Furuhashi allowed Josip Juranovic to break into the box, and his drilled cross was tapped into the net by Jota.
Sead Haksobanovic left the pitch early in the first half after picking up a knock, with Reo Hatate taking his place in midfield. And, just before the break, the substitute got on the scoresheet to put Celtic into cruise control.
On the stroke of half-time, Celtic hit Motherwell on the break, with Jota leading the charge down the left. Celtic overloaded the midfield as Mooy, Furuhashi and Hatate were all available, and a smart dummy from Mooy at the near post allowed the ball to run through to Hatate, with the midfielder tapping his shot into the net.
Celtic took their foot off the gas in the second half as they protected their lead, but a moment of sloppiness at the back allowed Kevin van Veen to break through on goal and score for the hosts in the 85th minute, wiping out the Celtic clean sheet.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Motherwell 1-3 Celtic
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Celtic could produce another impressive performance to keep up their winning record against Motherwell. A late goal in the simulation meant no clean sheet for Celtic again, and if this happened in the real game, it would be the seventh time in the last eight games the Hoops have conceded.
What do you think the score will be between Celtic and Motherwell tonight? Let us know in the comments!
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