Motherwell booked a place in their second final of the season with an emphatic 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park on Saturday to set up a tie with Celtic on May 19 and insist they have nothing to fear.
The Fir Park side have already caused problems for the Scottish Champions, playing well in the Betfred Cup Final against Brendan Rodgers’ men, before Cedric Kipre’s red card helped put the game beyond doubt.
They are perhaps the biggest test Celtic could possibly face as they look to secure back to back trebles however, and Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney believes they will make life extremely difficult in just under a month’s time.
He said, “They know what they are good at, they have some good players as well.”
They’ll certainly prove a sterner test than Rangers, who fell 4-0 to their bitter rivals in the other Semi-Final. Steve Robinson’s men have a lot of energy and work well as a unit. They’re difficult to break down and their physical presence really could cause some problems for Rodgers.
That ability to harass Celtic for 90 minutes is something Rangers weren’t able to do, with the game perhaps a lesson to Well that if they are passive against the Scottish giants, they will be punished.
Of course, they go into the game as huge second favourites, but most pundits are fancying them to push Celtic to their limits.
A number of bookies are backing a BTTS and win in favour of the Glasgow club, with most suspecting Motherwell won’t have enough to prevent the hoops from making history.
That said, Robinson has run his team close with Celtic a number of times this season and they won’t like his more physical approach to the game. Curtis Main and Ryan Bowman have bullied defenders all season, while the midfield don’t stop hounding and will give Celtic very little space to play in.
It’s a tough and direct approach that isn’t seen too often in today’s modern game and their passion is there for all to see. They relish that and have failed to roll over throughout the cup competitions.
They’ll need to be at 100% if they are going to get to get anything from the tie. They need to use their physicality to win every one-on-one battle, every header and not stop working. Teams don’t like playing the Steelmen and the nerves might be there for Celtic, who face one of their biggest games in recent history.
It’s going to make for a thrilling finale to the season, and the two hugely contrasting styles of play could set it up to be a real feisty affair. ‘Well are the team that can push Celtic all the way, but do they have enough to spoil the party? Hampden Park awaits...
