BETFRED CUP FINAL
AFTER being sidelined for two months due to an Achilles tendon problem, Celtic’s big Bosnian looked sluggish and ring rusty in the 7-1 Champions League defeat to Paris St Germain.
However, with Brendan Rodgers determined to bolster his defence in January he’ll be anxious to prove he still has a future at Parkhead.
Moult has four goals in six appearances against the Hoops (including a double in their 2-1 win at Parkhead in December, 2015).
The Premiership’s leading scorer is in white-hot form and the 20 he and strike partner Ryan Bowman have netted is four more than Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele’s total. THE veteran Celtic midfielder had one of his least effective displays in a Celtic shirt in Paris.
He will know he has to up the ante if he’s to lift his 13th trophy as Celtic captain tomorrow.
Unfortunately for Motherwell he rarely has two poor performances in a row.
Campbell will test his stamina. The 19-year-old academy graduate will be making his 19th first-team appearance and his perpetual motion is ideal for Well’s pressing game.
He has already subdued Hibs’ John McGinn and Rangers’ Graham Dorrans this season and he’ll look to get up close and personal with Brown.
SIMUNOVIC v MOULT
THE Hoops’ French striker was one of the few Celts to earn pass marks in the Parc des Princes in midweek.
His goal will have boosted his confidence and the 77 minutes he got under his belt will have pushed him closer to optimum match fitness.
He should be Celtic’s biggest threat and Hartley spoke admiringly earlier this week of the Frenchman’s quick feet.
But at 29, eight years Dembele’s senior, the no-nonsense centre-back can call on hard-won experience with the likes of Hartlepool, Stevenage, Plymouth, Bristol Rovers and Blackpool to help him deal with both the striker and the occasion. CELTIChavewonthetrophy16 timesandarebiddingtoretainit forthefirsttimesince2000-01. Theywonitfiveyearsinarowin the1960s.Motherwell’sone winwasin1950-51when 3-0. theybeatHibs THE wheels may have come off in Paris but Stuart Armstrong is convinced Celtic are still on the right road in Europe.
The Hoops midfielder admitted the PSG punishment was painful but it was nothing compared to the misery in Molde.
Punters and critics have had a pop at the Parkhead club in the aftermath of Wednesday’s horror show but Armstrong was quick to remind folk just how far the side has come under Brendan Rodgers.
Getting stuffed by PSG was no fun but he’s convinced the team are a million miles away from the group that went down in the bucketing rain in Norway in October 2015.
It wasn’t just Hoops fans who gave boss Ronny Deila pelters that night – playmaker Kris Commons also let the manager and his No.2 John Collins have it as the side slumped to a 3-1 defeat on their way to propping up their Europa League group in a winless campaign.
Armstrong insisted Celts are in far better shape under Brendan Rodgers and he’s convinced they are going in the right direction despite a few diversions along the way.
He said: “It’s different from then when we didn’t win a game in our Europa League group. We had three tough qualifying games against teams desperate to get to the Champions League. It’s hard even to get there.
“If you take the PSG results out of it then the home game against Bayern and the great win at Anderlecht shows we are making strides.”
Armstrong knows the seven-goal bleaching leaves the club wide open for the snipers but insisted PSG could have done that to anyone.
Rodgers has copped it as well but the playmaker is stunned anyone can question the Hoops boss.
Armstrong said: “It’s their opinion and everyone is entitled to it. Brendan has shown what a quality manager he is for 18 months.
“We’re on the inside and we have to deal with these things as they happen and not comment on things from outside.
“We are under no illusions how good they were. Even when we played Barcelona last year they got to seven and it was a different level. But this PSG team could go all the way, they were absolutely magnificent.
“They also beat Bayern 3-0 – they really are a European giant and if they
Last year Barca got seven and it was