Celtic vs Motherwell: prediction and stats
PremiershipRegular Season - 20Kick-off on December 26, 2026 at 03:00 PM (UTC)Celtic Park, Glasgow
The Footlab model makes Celtic the favourite at 62%, against 22% for a draw and 17% for Motherwell. The most likely score is 1-1.
This model is measured at 53.9% 1X2 accuracy on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. See the measured accuracy
Probabilities recomputed on Aug 24, 2026 — the full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Celtic vs Motherwell?
Celtic starts as the favourite with a 210-point Elo edge (2,181 vs 1,971).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Celtic have 11 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeats; Motherwell have 6, 3 and 6.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2026 | Lask Linz(home) | 3-0 | UEFA Champions League |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Dundee Utd(away) | 4-0 | League Cup |
| Aug 9, 2026 | Kilmarnock(away) | 5-1 | Premiership |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Dundee(home) | 1-0 | Premiership |
| Jul 25, 2026 | AC Milan(home) | 2-2 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2026 | SC Freiburg(home) | 1-3 | UEFA Europa Conference League |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Stenhousemuir(away) | 0-1 | League Cup |
| Aug 13, 2026 | HJK Helsinki(home) | 2-0 | UEFA Europa Conference League |
| Aug 9, 2026 | Falkirk(home) | 0-0 | Premiership |
| Aug 6, 2026 | HJK Helsinki(away) | 1-1 | UEFA Europa Conference League |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 5 Celtic win(s), 0 draw(s), 1 Motherwell win(s).
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2026 | Motherwell 2-3 Celtic | Premiership |
| Mar 14, 2026 | Celtic 3-1 Motherwell | Premiership |
| Dec 30, 2025 | Motherwell 2-0 Celtic | Premiership |
| Oct 5, 2025 | Celtic 3-2 Motherwell | Premiership |
| Feb 2, 2025 | Motherwell 1-3 Celtic | Premiership |
| Dec 26, 2024 | Celtic 4-0 Motherwell | Premiership |
How many goals should we expect?
Celtic score 2.7 and concede 1.2 goals per match over their last 15; Motherwell score 1.4 and concede 1.4. The model gives a 59% probability of over 2.5 goals and 56% for both teams to score.
| Club | Goals scored / match | Goals conceded / match | Clean sheets | Both teams scored | Over 2.5 goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | 2.7 | 1.2 | 3 | 12/15 | 12/15 |
| Motherwell | 1.4 | 1.4 | 5 | 7/15 | 7/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Celtic sit 1st in Premiership (6 points from 2 matches) and Motherwell sit 4th (4 points from 2 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Motherwell | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Verdict, probable XI and verified absences
The full match card recomputes this prediction continuously until kick-off: multi-market verdict, player-by-player probable XI and web-verified absences.
Open the full match card in the app
No odds, no affiliation: the method is published and the accuracy is measured.
How does Footlab compute this prediction?
The model combines both teams' Elo ratings (anchored by competition pool), their recent form weighted by opponent strength, home advantage and a Poisson matrix for scorelines. Its accuracy is measured continuously on the predictions actually published. Methodology and measured accuracy
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the favourite for Celtic vs Motherwell?
- The Footlab model makes Celtic the favourite at 62%, against 22% for a draw and 17% for Motherwell.
- Where and when is Celtic vs Motherwell played?
- Celtic vs Motherwell is played on December 26, 2026 at 03:00 PM (UTC) at Celtic Park, in the Premiership.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab model gives a 59% probability of at least three goals in this match.
- How reliable is this prediction?
- The Footlab model is measured at 53.9% correct 1X2 outcomes on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. The breakdown by competition and Elo gap is published on the accuracy page.