Celtic travel to North Lanarkshire this weekend to face Motherwell, as they look to get back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership.

Last time out, Brendan Rodgers' side conceded a late goal against Kilmarnock at home, leading to the champions dropping another vital two points in the league. Now behind Rangers in the table, they could be as many as five points behind their biggest rivals before a ball is kicked at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon.

At the time of writing, Stuart Kettlewell's side sits ninth in the Premiership table, five points clear of the relegation play-off spot. Their last result was a 2-0 away defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle, following their 3-3 thriller with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. The last time Celtic and their opponents played was back in November when David Turnbull's late penalty was cancelled out by Jonathan Obika's last-gasp header at Celtic Park. Earlier on in the season, there were more injury-time thrills, as Luis Palma scored his first goal for the club, followed by Matt O'Riley's 97th-minute winner after Blair Spittal's equaliser for the hosts. 

With all of that being said, who will the manager elect to start for this must-win encounter in the league? The Celtic Way's Ryan McGinlay and Tony Haggerty each have their say...

Ryan McGinlay

We've been here before.

The margin for error has come and gone. 12 wins from their final 12 league games is now required from now until the end of the season. A big ask, but one that should fire the players up, especially coming back to the location where they had one of their biggest moments of the campaign thus far. 

Rodgers needs a win after last week, and he will go with a strong line-up to go in pursuit of this. In goal, Joe Hart will make his first appearance since announcing his plans to retire at the end of the season. A stalwart for three years, his presence will be called upon from now until the end of the season, as his replacement continues to be identified in the background. One of two injury returns will make their way into the starting line-up, as Cameron Carter-Vickers will waltz straight back into the fold after his latest setback. Partnered alongside Liam Scales, the USA international has to be fast-tracked back into the forefront of Rodgers' plans, in part due to necessity because of the weakness of the back-line in recent weeks. Alistair Johnston will have to wait for his return, so Anthony Ralston will continue in his role, with Greg Taylor assuming his normal place on the left.

In the midfield, we will see some changes. Tomoki Iwata will operate as the number six, allowing Callum McGregor to push forward and influence the attacking side of the game. I have been tossing and turning concerning Matt O'Riley, but I believe the Dane will get another chance to kick back into form. A good performance is required from the misfiring midfielder, here's hoping it happens in North Lanarkshire.

In the forward areas, Kyogo Furuhashi will lead the line for Celtic, with Daizen Maeda and Yang Hyun-jun deployed in the wide areas. It is a guessing game as to who will start in the wing positions, but I believe the South Korean in particular deserves a chance to shine after a couple of promising cameos.

Celtic to kick back into form, though it won't be an easy game against the Steelmen.

Ryan's team: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; Iwata, McGregor; Yang, O'Riley, Maeda; Kyogo

Tony Haggerty

Whatever is going on at Celtic right now, it isn't working. It needs fixing. There needs a refreshment and a recalibration.

Last weekend's two dropped points at home to Kilmarnock with 12 games left in the campaign could come back to bite Celtic big time. Rangers went top of the Scottish Premiership table for the first time since 2022 and the men in green and white are not used to playing catch-up. Nothing less than a win will suffice at Fir Park on Sunday against Motherwell as Rodgers's men look to get their title aspirations back on track.

It took a last-minute winner from O'Riley to separate the two sides on league business at the same venue in September. The Northern Irishman would settle for a similar outcome in terms of result this time around but a similar set of circumstances would be too close for comfort.

Hart who announced he will be hanging up his gloves at the end of the season will remain between the sticks. Ralston will assist him at right-back and Taylor at left-back. In the central defensive areas, Rodgers will make one change with Carter-Vickers coming in to replace Welsh. The American will return to the fold, alongside regular starter Scales.

The midfield is where I believe the 51-year-old might opt for a total shake-up. McGregor and O'Riley will be the usual starting duo but they will be joined by both Iwata and Bernardo in a four-man engine room. Deploying the Japanese midfielder in a traditional No. 6 role will allow the Celtic captain to roam further forward.

Up front, the champions will function with two main strikers in the shape of Idah and Kyogo. It hasn't been working for Celtic in the wide areas with the wingers not hitting any kind of form or providing a killer end product for several weeks now. Kyogo reverting to playing on the last shoulder and feeding off the supply from full-backs Taylor and Ralston as well as the advancing McGregor and O'Riley could well be the key not only to victory at Fir Park but the tactical switch required to haul the defending champions over the line in the remaining 12 games.

The Japanese attacker firing on all cylinders could see him net the goals that are required to gain the initiative back in the title race. The one thing that was largely forgotten in the Killie stalemate was that Kyogo placed a sumptuous header into the back of the net to give Celtic the lead last weekend. It was a delightful goal following an exquisite and quality assist from Ralston.  Newsflash: Celtic's talisman hasn't forgotten where the back of the net is and it is up to Rodgers to play to his strengths between now and the end of the season.

Rodgers needs to produce some magic out of the hat because there is no wriggle room for the Parkhead side now. A win in Lanarkshire is a must. Celtic's title fightback starts in Lanarkshire.

Tony's team: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; McGregor, Iwata, Bernardo, O'Riley; Idah, Kyogo.