Celtic

The Sportscene panel discuss Luke McCowan's time at Celtic so far after he opened the scoring in their 3-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.

We asked for your views on Celtic's 3-0 win over Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

SPB: I don't want to win this league, any league, on goal difference. We need to push on. I thought Luke McCowan was immense today. A worthy contender for club captain.

Hugh: Motherwell were very well organised but we were patient and switched the play from side to side to open up the spaces. It was like a game of chess at times but our persistence paid off and we ran out comfortable winners in the end. It's worth noting the increased options we now have across the defence, competition only makes us stronger.

Aaron: Luke McCowan was outstanding in the middle of the pitch today, did not look out of place! Good to see a few faces back from injury ahead of a busy schedule.

JP: Solid performance and a good three points after the busy but fruitful night against Atalanta. Thought Alistair Johnston and McCowan were excellent. Onwards to the next game midweek.

John: Easy day at the office after a couple of early scares, result was never in doubt.

Gordy: Professional and enjoyable performance, the changes Brendan Rodgers made did not affect the team, McCowan has slotted in brilliantly and took his goal well, and Alastair Johnson was a great stand-in captain but great to have Cameron Carter-Vickers back. Overall very impressive after a tough game in the Champions League. The less said about the challenge on Adam Idah the better, hope he is okay. Well done lads.

Watch highlights of Celtic's 3-0 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

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Brendan Rodgers heaped praise on Luke McCowan as the summer-signing stepped in to replace club captain Callum McGregor in the side's 3-0 win at Fir Park.

Motherwell threatened in the early stages with midfielder Lennon Miller hitting both the post and the bar before McCowan scored for his boyhood club.

McCowan, signed on deadline day from Dundee, was in from the start to replace the absent McGregor and his manager knows just how much it will have meant to him

"I’m so happy for him," Rodgers said.

"As a Celtic supporter coming in, maybe there’s that enthusiasm first of all, but then that wears off.

"But he performs with great energy, a great passion for the game, and he has quality. Callum obviously wasn’t going to play, so the idea was to bring him in because he’s a goal threat, and I thought he was going to do really well.

"You see that in every game he plays, he looks like he can create goals or score a goal."

Having made four changes in total from their goalless draw in the Champions League midweek away to Atalanta, Rodgers was also delighted with the squad depth he has at his disposal.

Rodgers made four changes in all following the midweek draw with Atalanta.

He added: "We were able to rest Arne [Engels], who’s come in as a young player and played so many games, the distance he covered in midweek was huge"

"I’m obviously very grateful to the club for getting the players in that allows us to do that".

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• Celtic have scored in their last 18 games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 27 games from 1st October 2022 to 7th May 2023.

• Celtic have scored in 9 of their 9 games, no team has done so more often in the Premiership this season.

• Celtic are undefeated in their last 18 games in the Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 1st October 2022 to 7th May 2023, a run of 27 games.

• Motherwell have failed to score in 3 of their 9 games, only St. Johnstone (4) and Ross County (4) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

• Liam Gordon has received his second red card in the Premiership (177th appearance), his first since 30th September 2023.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful Callum McGregor will be fit for Saturday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Aberdeen after his captain sat out the 3-0 win over Motherwell. (Scotsman), external

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a solid win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

Luke McCowan steered in the opener, with stand-in skipper Alistair Johnston ghosting in at the back post to guide in Celtic's second.

Substitutes Nicholas Kuhn and Adam Idah combined and the latter finished for the third.

What did you make of that, Celtic fans? What impressed you the most about the victory?

Did anyone stand out?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told BBC Sportsound he "expected that start" from Motherwell.

"They're a well-organised team. First half, the moments we were good was when we were switching the play. Against their system, it's important to keep doing that.

"In the early stages, we trapped ourselves. The spaces started to open up and that's where the first goal came from.

"Second half was about managing the ball better. The players were excellent, scored two really good goals - especially Ali [Johnston]'s goal - and we had chances to make it four or five.

"I'm really pleased after such a tough game midweek to come here, a tough place to come, and get a result.

"It's the role of the players, they all have to contribute. I'm not surprised [by Luke]. I've seen the quality and energy he has, the enthusiasm he has for being here at Celtic. He's settled in well, made contributions either creating or scoring goals, and he's a goal threat. He worked very hard."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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It may not have been the first 20 minutes that Celtic would've wanted, but for the other 70 minutes it was a vintage performance at a potentially tricky venue.

The game here in February finished 3-1 after two goals in injury time. The two games before that were both 2-1 - both featuring late Celtic goals to win.

Today, they didn't need to wait as long. Their persistent passing play wore Motherwell down, despite the loss of McGregor in midfield.

It was a full team performance. McCowan impressed, as did Valle and Johnston at full-back and Forrest, who looked back to his best on the wing.

There was also a confidence in defence - merited after the clean sheet against Atalanta - that meant once they weathered the storm, they looked unlikely to concede.

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Alistair Johnston. Hard to pick one, but we'll go with Johnston for his captain's performance in the absence of Callum McGregor.

Part of the flying right-hand side with James Forrest, Johnston provided a constant threat and took his goal brilliantly.

Motherwell make two changes for the visit of Celtic with defender Marvin Kaleta and midfielder Tom Sparrow replacing Dan Casey and Zach Robinson, who both make the bench.

There's no Callum McGregor in the Celtic squad with right-back Alistair Johnston captaining the visitors in the midfielder's absence.

Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo replace McGregor and Arne Engels in midfield and there are also two changes in attack with James Forrest and Kyogo Furuhashi taking over from Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah.

Engels, Idah and Kuhn are on the bench, as is returning defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.

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Motherwell: Oxborough, Kaleta, O'Donnell, Gordon, Balmer, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Miller, Sparrow, Stamatelopoulos.

Substitutes: Hegyi, Seddon, Robinson, Casey, Blaney, Koutroumis, Ebiye, Watt, Maswanhise.

Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Valle, McCowan, Bernardo, Hatate, Forrest, Kyogo, Maeda.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Taylor, Palma, Idah, Kuhn, Yang, Carter-Vickers, Engels, Ralston.

Opta's supercomputer has predicted that Celtic will finish with 11 points after the first stage of the Champions League and that would be enough to finish in 22nd position, meaning qualification for the play-offs. (Sunday Mail), external

Celtic believe their Champions League campaign can help sell Barcelona left-back Alex Valle on a permanent transfer despite the 20-year-old's representatives rejecting a buy option at the end of his season-long loan. (Sunday Post, print edition)

On-loan Barcelona left-back Alex Valle has targeted winning trophies with Celtic whether or not he stays long term and is relishing his battle for a starting place with fit-again Greg Taylor. (The Herald On Sunday), external

Aston Villa are the frontrunners to sign Hammarby forward Bazoumana Toure, with the Swedish club sticking to their £8.3m price tag amid interest from Celtic, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen in the 18-year-old. (Sunday Mail), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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• Motherwell are winless in 31 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D5 L26) since a 2-1 league victory at Celtic Park in December 2015 under Mark McGhee.

• Celtic have won each of their last nine away games against Motherwell in all competitions, scoring 30 goals in the process (3.3 per game).

• No side has kept fewer clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership in 2024 than Motherwell (two, level with Ross County), with the Steelmen recording just one shutout in their last 22 league matches (0-0 v Ross County in August).

• Celtic have won each of their last six away league outings, last winning more in a row in February 2020 (nine).

• Since he joined Celtic in 2021, Kyogo Furuhashi has both scored and assisted a goal in seven different Scottish Premiership matches (including two of his last three); only James Tavernier (eight) has done so more in this period.

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Motherwell have Tom Sparrow back after a minor injury while Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has recovered from the upset stomach that forced him off against Dundee.

Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Harry Paton (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Jack Vale (calf) are long-term absentees.

Celtic hope to have Cameron Carter-Vickers and Greg Taylor back from injury.

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Brendan Rodgers is ready to do whatever it takes to win – as he prepares for another tricky trip to Fir Park

Celtic came from 2-0 down to edge a seven-goal thriller during his first spell at the club, followed by a record of late draws and stoppage time wins between the two sides in Lanarkshire.

But with Celtic fired up after their Champions League draw against Atalanta, Rodgers says he’s relishing the chance to return to Motherwell.

“It’s always been a tough place to go,” he said.

“I always really enjoy going there. It’s always a really good atmosphere, we bring a great support behind the goals.

“We’ll expect a team that will be well organised. Stuart [Kettlewell] organises his teams very, very well, very organised, very committed.

“They’ll be disappointed with their last result, so they’ll want to bounce back from that. And for us, we know what we need after a Champions League game. It’s big energy, big attitude and to continue with the great start to the season for us.”

“Ultimately you have to do what it takes to get the result. And we always have that mentality that we can.”

Rodgers believes that some of the wins at Fir Park, including last season’s dramatic late winner by Matt O’Riley, had been among his most satisfying games.

“Some of the games when we were searching for that late win, Matt scored a great goal at the back post,” he said.

“It was everything that we would want. Scoring a late win away from home is always really nice and it’s great for the supporters. But, of course, whichever way it comes, you just want to win.”

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Motherwell have midfielder Tom Sparrow back after a minor injury, while striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has recovered from the upset stomach that forced him off against Dundee.

But Paul McGinn, Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson, Harry Paton, Ross Callachan and Jack Vale are long-term absentees.

Celtic hope to have centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers and left-back Greg Taylor back from injury.

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Brendan Rodgers has defended record signing Arne Engels after the Belgium midfielder came in for criticism for his recent performances.

The 21-year-old, who joined from Augsburg for £11m in the summer, initially impressed but has had a quieter few weeks.

"There are critics in the game, everyone has an opinion you have to respect that," manager Rodgers said.

"For me, we brought a young player in who is nowhere near the finished article.

"There's a price around him which could make you think you’re buying someone who's the finished article, but he's not. He's a 21-year-old who's got great potential and it’s my job here, along with the staff, to develop that."

Rodgers says Engels is still adjusting to the intensity and pressure of playing for Celtic.

"He's coming from playing one game a week – that's a holiday in my book – to come and play at a big club with big pressure and big expectation and you'll feel it," he said.

"We had the same with Nicolas Kuhn, we probably had the same with Callum McGregor over the years.

"I understand it, people make a judgement and an opinion but I'm so, so happy he chose to come here. He's shown more than enough in this short period of time that he's going to be fantastic for us."

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Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media as Celtic prepare for a trip to Motherwell on Sunday.

Here are the main points:

• Cameron Carter-Vickers and Greg Taylor are both back training with the squad and could be involved at Fir Park but a decision will be made on Saturday.

• Rodgers praised the defensive performance against Atalanta but is pleased to have two "very important players" back in the fold.

• He says the draw in Bergamo "galvanises" his players and gives them huge confidence as it showed they have "dig, grit and determination" as well as the ability to "play some brilliant football".

• The manager was full of praise for defensive duo Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, who were "immense". Trusty's performance "shows why we signed him".

• Rodgers says the team are finally reaching what he set out to achieve when coming back to the club - to "build something in Europe". Says the "graft, heart, desire and organisation that can help us going forward."

• On Arne Engels, Rodgers says he is "nowhere near a finished article" but has great potential and it's his job to develop that.

• He's expecting a very organised, committed Motherwell side who will want to bounce back from a poor result last week while he's looking for "big energy and big attitude" to continue a "great start to the season" from Celtic.

• On former Celtic midfielder Tommy Callaghan, who has died at age 78, Rodgers said: "I think any player that's been signed twice by Jock Stein tells you how good a player he was. A sad day but a real legend of the club and all our thoughts are with his family."

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Former Celtic midfielder Tommy Callaghan, who played over 250 times for the club and won six league medals, has died at the age of 78.

Callaghan joined in 1968 from Dunfermline Athletic and was notable for being the only player Jock Stein ever signed twice - having also taken him to the Pars in 1962.

A huge Celtic fan, the Fife native stayed at Parkhead for eight years and also won three Scottish Cups and two League Cups as well as scoring 34 goals before leaving in 1976 to join Clydebank.

After he retired from playing, he was still a regular at Celtic Park as a matchday host.

A statement from the club said: "The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic are with Tommy’s friends and family at this sad time."

Though Celtic drew 0-0 with Atalanta in the Champions League, one of their players did get a European goal this week with Johnny Kenny, on loan at Shamrock Rovers, netting in the 4-1 Conference League win over Larne. (Sun), external

Celtic captain Callum McGregor says Tuesday's performance was from a team that wanted "to be a team that does the talking on the pitch". (Record), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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Midfielder Paulo Bernardo insists Celtic's mentality in the draw with Atalanta is key to their hopes of a memorable Champions League campaign.

After the chastening drubbing by Borussia Dortmund, Bernardo says Celtic showed unity to take a point in Bergamo and he has called for more of the same when Leipzig visit Parkhead on 5 November.

"The game that we played against Dortmund, we had a lot to learn," said the 22-year-old Portuguese.

"I think we did that and we had a great response. Our togetherness on the pitch showed that and we need to stick together every game like this.

"It was important against Dortmund to open our eyes to the reality of the Champions League.

"We needed to respond. We need to be prepared for these games and I think we did a great job.

"We need to focus on that and play each game like it's a final for us. We need to show our mentality like we did this game.

"A point away is always good. Now we need to focus already on the next one."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Rudyard Kipling called it just about right, didn't he?

‘If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same.’

It's the mantra of many a manager, but I fancy no one is a greater believer in the keeping of an even keel right now than Brendan Rodgers.

The manager is steering the good ship Celtic back to the long-lost oasis of Champions League respectability. Slowly, surely and having dropped anchor already at both the ports of triumph and disaster.

The five-goal demolition of Slovan Bratislava on matchday one was triumphant in any way you care to measure. Then the horror show in Dortmund nearly holed Celtic's prospects below the waterline after just a couple of matches.

Back afloat after a precious point was bravely won in Bergamo, where does this leave the Parkhead side's European aspirations now? Probably ahead of where the manager thought he'd be. Four points from nine after trips to Dortmund and Atalanta? Rodgers would have signed for that without a second's hesitation.

So the Champions League no-hopers (post Dortmund) are now nailed on for the knockout stages (post Atalanta)?

It’s where that fine line between glory and ignominy comes in. Where a calmness and consistency of approach can help keep a cool head in the heat of hope.

The pragmatism shown in Italy may well be the evidence the club's fans were looking for to suggest the side is maturing in Europe's elite competition.

And if Leipzig – good as they are – can be defeated in the cauldron of Glasgow’s East End early next month, the Parkhead support will have a great deal of trouble following Mr Kipling's call for equanimity. They'll see the promised land hoving happily into view over the horizon.

Which brings me back to another line from ‘If’.

‘If you can dream and not make dreams your master.’

Right now Celtic fans are dreaming of heading down to Birmingham to face Aston Villa having already qualified for the next phase of the Champions League. The defensive triumph against Atalanta gives them every reason to be optimistic.