Celtic have come under fire in recent weeks – but Stephen Robinson is under no illusions how hard Motherwell’s weekend task is.
The Steelmen welcome Celtic to Fir Park on Sunday afternoon. Neil Lennon’s team have come under scrutiny for performances of late but they roared back to form last weekend with a 2-0 win against Aberdeen ahead of the Well meeting.
Fir Park boss Robinson isn’t reading into any criticism surrounding Celtic at the minute. He says that his Motherwell team will have to hit top form in order to continue their impressive run of late that has had them pick up 12 points from six matches.
“I didn’t see any problems in the first half against Aberdeen,” said Robinson. “Celtic were excellent. They are a great team, there’s no disguising that. We are well aware of what a tough game it is.
“I see things about form, they lost two games, one to AC Milan and another. There’s not a crisis there and we face a massive challenge on Sunday against one of the top teams in the league.
“We need to be right at the top of our game. We have been in recent weeks so we need that type of performance again. There’s no reason why we can’t get a result.
“Every team has weaknesses. We look at the strengths and weaknesses of every team and we have a plan that we will try and go with. Celtic will have a lot of possession but we have a lot of pace and creativity.”
Motherwell have also had a positive update on goalkeeper Trevor Carson. The number one was set to be sidelined into 2021 after knee surgery last week, but a successful op means he could return sooner than expected.
“Trevor’s operation has gone really, really well,” said Robinson. “We’re hoping to have him back available around January time. We’re hoping his lay off will be shorter than first expected.
“Initially you always fear the worst when someone like Trevor has to come off. He’s not one who normally comes off with small issues. But the op has gone well and we’re quietly hopeful that we will see Trevor back after Christmas.
“For Trevor personally, the fact it’s a shorter lay-off will be a boost given what he’s been through.
“Mentally, people don’t realise how tough it is when you’re stuck on your own in a treatment room for six or seven months. It’s soul destroying, it’s difficult.
“We don’t have the best facilities here so to be up in our freezing cold gym for six months is difficult but Trevor has shown great mental strength and character to come back from what he’s been through and he’ll do exactly the same again, I’ve no doubt about that whatsoever.”