Scouting Report: Molde

Celtic edged out a 1-0 win against Motherwell on Saturday but will now turn their attention to Molde ahead of their clash on Thursday night.

Ronny Deila and Stefan Johansen will be familiar with the Norwegian side, as will Jozo Simunovic, who played against them for Dinamo Zagreb earlier this season in the third round of qualifying for the Champions League.

The Norwegian side were in action last night and won in comprehensive fashion against a struggling Mjondalen side. They beat them 3-1 with goals coming from top-scorer Ola Kamara, Sander Svendsen and Harmeet Singh. Mjondalen stayed second from bottom in the Tiplleligaen, whilst Molde are looking to make a late push for the top four with three fixtures remaining in the league.

One player Celtic will need to keep an eye on is 21-year-old Mohamed Elyounoussi. The Norwegian has 15 goals this year in all competitions but started on the bench, playing the final 29 minutes for Molde. Striker Ola Kamara will also be one to keep an eye on as the 26-year old has scored 20 goals this season.

All the goals came in the second-half after dominating in the opening 45 minutes but failing to break down a resolute Mjondalen defence. They lined up in a 4-3-3 formation and used a combination of their width and playing through the middle for a lot of their attacks, including the three goals.

What I did notice is their defence didn’t look comfortable when the ball came into the box and looked hesitant, especially for the goal they conceded after failing to clear a long throw-in. I found in the Ajax game as well, their two centre-backs Forren and Gabrielsen failed to deal with balls into the box, something Celtic can expose and attack.