Friday 14 October 2016 13:35, UK
Brendan Rodgers is ignoring two glamour games for Celtic next week to focus on Motherwell on Saturday.
The Premiership leaders resume their Champions League campaign with the visit of German side Borussia Monchengladbach next Wednesday at Parkhead, before the following Sunday sees a meeting with Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Betfred Cup semi-final at Hampden.
Celtic beat Motherwell 5-0 at home in the League Cup in August, but Rodgers expects an improvement from Mark McGhee's side and says he is giving them his full attention.
"I am only worried about the next game," Rodgers said. "I am only worried about Motherwell. We will focus on that and get ready for that, it will be a tough game for us, I'm sure.
"We played them in the cup earlier in the season and we played very, very well in the game.
"But I am sure Mark will have looked at that game and looked at his team having improved maybe from that and I am sure they will make it very difficult for us again."
Celtic face a hectic fixture list in the run up to Christmas as they battle on three fronts with nine games scheduled in December, but the former Liverpool and Swansea manager insists that is simply the price of success.
"We now go into our next block of seven games before the next international break and through November to December we are nearly playing every other day," Rodgers said.
"But that obviously comes from success as well so we can't complain.
"The players work very hard here. I have a really good squad of players, all of them will be ready for whatever games they are needed to play in. So if you are having so many games it is hopefully because you are successful."
Motherwell will have to beware of striker Moussa Dembele who won the Premiership player of the month award for September.
The 20-year-old has scored 12 times since signing from Fulham in the summer, including a hat-trick against Rangers and a double against Manchester City in the Champions League. He also notched in each of France U21s' two games during the international break.
"I have settled quick and I have scored a lot of goals for the club so far and hopefully there is more to come," said Dembele.
"This was the next level after Fulham. I had to come to a massive club and show that I can do it at a high level and that's what I have done. I am still young, I am still learning the game so hopefully there is more to come."
Celtic will assess Mikael Lustig and Nir Bitton, who both returned from international duty carrying knocks, ahead of the Motherwell game.
