Confirmed Celtic Starting XI vs Motherwell: Johnston and Tounekti Start

Celtic are back in Premiership action tonight as Martin O’Neill’s side travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell, with the Celtic manager naming a strong starting XI for a match carrying huge title implications.

The timing of the fixture could hardly be bigger. Celtic arrive in Lanarkshire fresh from Sunday’s 3-1 derby win over Rangers, but there is little time to enjoy it with the title race still alive heading into the final week of the season.

Hearts remain top of the table by a single point and Celtic simply cannot afford a slip-up if they want the championship race to go down to the final day. Rangers have already fallen away after recent defeats, leaving it as a straight fight between Hearts and Celtic with almost no margin for error left.

Motherwell also represent one of the toughest away fixtures Celtic have faced this season. Jens Berthel Askou’s side are aggressive without the ball, brave in possession and willing to press high rather than simply defend deep. Fir Park has caused Celtic problems before because Motherwell commit players forward quickly once they win possession.

Sunday’s derby showed both sides of Celtic at the moment. The first half against Rangers lacked control after conceding early, while the second half looked much more like the side O’Neill has been trying to rebuild over recent weeks. The midfield started moving the ball quicker, Daizen Maeda stretched the game constantly and Celtic pinned Rangers back for long spells.

Tonight will require patience as much as intensity.

There is also the physical side of the occasion. Celtic have played emotionally draining matches recently and O’Neill has had to manage players carefully through injuries and fatigue. Alistair Johnston’s return has helped defensively, while others such as Reo Hatate and Kelechi Iheanacho continue pushing for bigger involvement.

Colby Donovan has also returned to training after his recent hamstring issue and could come back into the matchday squad for the first time since the win over Dundee.

The wide areas could become decisive again. Maeda’s form has transformed Celtic’s attack over the last few weeks and Yang Hyun-jun looked far more dangerous once moved onto the right against Rangers. Motherwell’s full-backs will have to deal with constant movement and overlapping runs throughout the night.

Here is the Celtic starting XI to face Motherwell:

Kick-off at Fir Park is 8pm. The match will be shown live on Sky Sports +, with coverage beginning before kick-off as the Premiership title race continues to build towards a dramatic finish.