Motherwell v Celtic preview: Hosts out to avenge Scottish League Cup final defeat
Wednesday 29 November 2017 19:51, UK
Motherwell will seek revenge for their Scottish League Cup defeat at Celtic last weekend when they host the Hoops at Fir Park on Wednesday evening.
Stephen Robinson's side saw their Betfred Cup hopes dashed in controversial circumstances on Sunday when Cedric Kipre conceded a contentious penalty that saw him sent off.
Celtic went on to win 2-0 but Motherwell have an instant chance to hit back when the Ladbrokes Premiership leaders visit on Wednesday.
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Motherwell midfielder Andy Rose revealed some group therapy helped them get over their Hampden heartache and target more success this season.
The former Coventry player said: "We had a great meeting on Monday and came to the conclusion that we use it to fuel us through the rest of the season.
"We can feel good about what we did but you want trophies and we had a fantastic opportunity to get one and we just missed out.
"It was important to talk about it all together. Obviously, everybody was so disappointed, more so for all the people behind the scenes who put so much into us getting there and the preparation.
"Our fans were incredible for us on the day, they were incredible for us when we played Rangers. Those moments when we scored and celebrating with them and celebrating after the match, those moments will live with you forever.
"We kick on from here, take the belief out of it and look forward to the rest of the season."
Despite the weekend triumph, Celtic's Dedryck Boyata expects to face a group of players with extra determination when they run out at Fir Park
"I am putting myself in the position that if you lose against a team and you have to play them again, then you get them back," he said. "I would think they will be very fired up. Motherwell are a physical team anyway so it will be very hard on Wednesday.
"They made it very difficult for us to shift the ball. They had a plan that worked well. They stopped us from playing and they were trying to press us high. They played well and their manager knows what he is doing. You could see they had been working on that before the game.
"(Louis) Moult and (Ryan) Bowman are good players up front, physical players. They always want to win every ball and challenge."
Team news
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele is out of Wednesday's Ladbrokes Premiership encounter with Motherwell after the Frenchman suffered an ankle injury against the same opponents in Sunday's Betfred Cup final.
Nir Bitton again misses out with a knock but right-back Anthony Ralston is back in training after a knee injury.
Motherwell have a full squad for the visit of Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Celtic.
Cedric Kipre is available despite being sent off in Sunday's Betfred Cup final. The defender's suspension takes effect in the Steelmen's first game in next season's tournament.
