Celtic will take on Motherwell on Saturday, 14 March, in a match that could go a long way to determining where the Scottish Premiership title ends up this season.
The hosts come into the match five points behind Hearts at the top of the division, and with just nine games to play, they cannot afford for this gap to get any bigger.
Motherwell, meanwhile, are only five points behind Celtic themselves, so a victory for the visitors here could see them re-enter the conversation for finishing in second position.
Before taking a look at the rest of today's betting tips, check out our Celtic vs Motherwell prediction below.
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Celtic vs Motherwell key stats
- No side in the Scottish Premiership has conceded fewer goals (20) than Motherwell this season.
- Celtic have scored seven goals across their last six matches (1.17 goals per game).
- Both teams have scored in just one of Motherwell's last five matches.
Celtic vs Motherwell preview: A low-scoring affair
| Celtic | vs | Motherwell |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Position | 4th |
| 58 | Points | 53 |
| 53 | Goals For | 48 |
| 31 | Goals Against | 20 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 16 |
| 4th | Home Rank | 2nd |
| 1st | Away Rank | 5th |
Celtic have relied on late goals to get them over the line on several occasions this season, and last week, they went one further by waiting for a penalty shootout to defeat Rangers.
What we can decipher from that is that Martin O'Neill isn't blessed with in-form forwards, which isn't exactly ideal when you're about to play against Scottish football's best defensive unit.
In fairness to O'Neill, though, his gamble of playing a second-string XI last weekend could not have worked out much better. The Bhoys won the tie and did so without risking injuries to key personnel, which means they should come into this one nice and fresh.
Celtic are aiming for a record-breaking 56th Scottish title.
Despite that, the champions still come into this must-win fixture with a plethora of absentees. Jota, Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Callum Osmand, Adam Montgomery and Arne Engels are all in the treatment room, while Auston Trusty is suspended.
Motherwell's involvement in the Scottish Premiership title race lasted less than a month, but perhaps we were all asking for too much to expect two non-Old Firm outfits to be in the mix this season.
Their 2-1 defeat to Dundee FC last weekend may have ended their faint title hopes, but they are still aiming to finish inside the top two for the first time since Rangers were making their way through the Scottish Football League in the early 2010s.
Only two sides have drawn more Scottish Premiership matches than Motherwell this season.
Their season has been built on a resolute defence, and it's important that manager Jens Berthel Askou doesn't try to change too much in the light of one disappointing result.
On the topic of Askou, he has been heavily linked with the permanent managerial job at Celtic in recent weeks; could this effectively be an audition?
In terms of injuries, Motherwell are missing Zach Robinson, John Koutroumbis, Callum Hendry, Lukas Fadinger and Matthew Connelly for this one.
Celtic vs Motherwell form guide & betting tips
| Celtic | vs | Motherwell |
|---|---|---|
| W-W-D-W-L | Form | L-W-W-L-W |
| 10 | Points | 10 |
| 3rd | Form Table | 1st |
| 10 | Goals For | 11 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 3 |
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Whispers predicts: Celtic 1-0 Motherwell
We're going for Celtic to win one-nil, but we won't be shocked if it's the visitors who run out as 1-0 victors. Celtic have been priced at 8/1 to win 1-0 by Bet365, while Motherwell have been priced at 16/1 to win by the same scoreline.
The two bets that we are more confident in are both teams to score (no) at 5/4 and under 2.5 goals to be scored at 13/10. The fact that both have been priced odds-against is a surprise when you consider both teams are better defensively than they are going forward.
If you fancy the league's top goalscorer, Tawanda Maswanhise, to add to his 16 goals, then you can get him at 2/1 to score anytime with Bet365.
> Match result - Celtic to win 1-0 at 8/1 | Likelihood: Outsider
> Both Teams to score - No at 5/4 | Likelihood: Probable
> Total goals - Under 2.5 at 13/10 | Likelihood: Probable