Match Previews

Motherwell in Europe for first in in 13 years...had bad loss at weekend...McLean (sp) (def) injured...Klimpl (sp) (def) cup-tied...Motherwell did not have the ideal preperation for their first European match in 13 years as they were well beaten by Celtic at Fir Park on Saturday.  They can least take heart from a stirring second half comeback but their performance in the first period was absolutely dreadful.  Unless they show a vast improvement they are unlikely to be able to cope with the rigours of European football.  Graeme Smith will keep his place in goal but with both McLean and Klimpl unavailable for various reasons, there is no chance of the established back four changing from Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds and Hammell.  In the midfield Mark McGhee will need to decide whether to be a little more cautious than usual and throw in an extra holding midfield, in which case Bob Malcolm could make his first appearance in weeks.  However more likely he will stick with his tried and trusted method of 4-3-3 which means McGarry, Malcolm and Fitzpatrick will fight it out for the final spot beside Hughes and Lasley.  In the attack Porter is still the key man despite his poor scoring record this season as he brings the other players into the game.  Clarkson and Sutton are almost certain to start beside him although both O'Brien and Murphy offer a different dimension with their pace.  Motherwell will be aware that they are second favourites in this tie but it is still one of the most winnable they could have been given.  Their target for this 90 minutes is keeping the tie alive for the second leg in Motherwell, so either a no scoring draw or a narrow defeat with an away goal is likely to be the limit of their ambitions.