Motherwell are one of Scotland’s older fixtures, founded in 1886 and long settled at Fir Park Stadium. Their scale is familiar rather than lavish: a 43-player squad with an average age of 23, and a market value of around £16m according to Transfermarkt.
The 2025-26 Premiership season was a strong one by their recent standards, ending with a fourth-place finish after all 38 rounds. At Fir Park, they were awkward company, averaging 1.7 goals scored and just 0.7 conceded per match – a home defensive record that gave them a solid base.
They were not blunt away from home either, averaging 1.4 goals scored per match on the road, though they conceded a little more freely. Tawanda Maswanhise carried the main scoring load with 22 goals, well ahead of Emmanuel Longelo on nine, while Elijah Just and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos both reached seven.
Their late-season league form had range: a 1-0 win at Hibernian, a 2-3 home defeat to Celtic, a 1-1 draw with Hearts, and a 2-3 win away to Rangers. They scored first inside 20 minutes in five of their 17 league matches, so Celtic had reason to be alert early rather than wait for the game to settle.
Motherwell finished fourth in the Premiership, with a young squad, a tight home record, and enough attacking output to trouble stronger sides. For Celtic supporters, they remained a domestic opponent to take seriously, particularly at Fir Park.
