Motherwell must be 'physical and fearless' for League Cup final

Hartley is looking forward to the first cup final of his career

Motherwell need to stick with their muscular approach and play without fear to have a chance of upsetting Celtic in Sunday's League Cup final, says defender Peter Hartley.

"Go and play basketball if you want to play a non contact sport," he said.

"We are a physical team. If we try to play Celtic at their game, then they're going to beat us.

"We've got to be physical, organised; we need to be fearless. It's what we're about and we're not going to change."

Motherwell have beaten Aberdeen and Rangers along the way to set up a Hampden date with last season's Treble-winners.

The Steelmen have not won a major trophy since the Scottish Cup in 1991 and their only success in this competition came in 1950-51.

The teams are yet to meet this season, with Celtic winning all four fixtures last term, including a 5-0 League Cup success.

However, Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson made sweeping changes over the summer, including the loan signing of Hartley from Blackpool.

"It's 11 v 11," said the 29-year-old, who has scored three goals in 11 appearances for the Steelmen.

"You've got 90 minutes to give everything you've got; you leave everything out there and I'll have 10 other players with me doing the exact same thing," he said.

"If you think about the outcome too much, it can make you play within yourself.

"The manager will have a game plan and, if we execute it, I fully believe we will get a result.

"The gaffer is very meticulous in his preparation and he picks a team to win the game

"We just need to do the jobs we are given. We are no pushovers."

'We're not a suits type of team'

The Motherwell players rejected the offer of cup final suits, preferring to stick with tracksuits for the occasion.

"We're not a suits type of team," Hartley explained. "That's not for us.

"That doesn't win or lose you a game of football.

"We are an honest, hard working group of lads. We just go out there and give everything we've got and what happens, happens.

"We don't want to be sweating on the coach to Hampden and YouTube-ing how to do a Windsor knot.

"We'll turn up in our tracksuits and do what we are there to do."