Chance for champions to extend lead over St Mirren

Two weeks ago, Motherwell were neck-and-neck with Celtic at the top of the table.  A home defeat to St Mirren and another reversal at Ibrox has seen them slip to fourth in the table, but the devil is in the detail.

The Lanarkshire side battered St Mirren but failed to make any of their 20 attempts count, while even the home manager at Ibrox admitted his side were fortunate to take all points.  What Stuart Kettlewell has achieved since taking over from Steven Hammell in February has been incredible.

While Celtic can expect a greater challenge than last week, Motherwell know exactly what is in store for them tomorrow.  Celtic scored six goals across their last two league games, that’s as many as Motherwell have scored in the league all season.  When the champions hit form, no one in Scotland can withstand them.

After making only one appearance last season, Scott Bain is set to double that number tomorrow, due to the suspension of Joe Hart.  He will have an important role to play.

The early kick-off gives us the chance to extend our lead at the top of the table to five points over challengers, St Mirren, on a temporary basis, anyway.  Saints travel to Kilmarnock later, but a win for Celtic would take the wind out of the sails of anyone else with title aspirations.