As Motherwell gears up for Sunday's Scottish Premiership clash with Celtic, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has highlighted the crucial need for his teammates to remain vigilant against the formidable talents of the Hoops' Japanese contingent.
The 25-year-old has had a challenging journey, battling through injuries to establish himself with the Steelmen.
Stamatelopoulos, now fully fit and ready to contribute, is acutely aware of the threats posed by Celtic's dynamic trio: Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, and Kyogo Furuhashi.
His firsthand experience during the recent international break has given him valuable insight into their capabilities. Although he was named on the bench for Australia’s 1-1 draw against Japan in a World Cup qualifier earlier this month, he closely observed the skills of Hatate and Maeda, who were also unused substitutes in that match.
Hatate has three goals and an assist from his 13 Celtic appearances this season. While Furuhashi has netted five times and provided three assists.
Maeda's return and performances have earned the praise from many onlookers. He's notched six goals and two assists from 11 games, including two strikes in the UEFA Champions League.
Asked who in Celtic colours has impressed him from afar ahead of welcoming the reigning champions to Fir Park, Stamatelopoulos said: “Probably the Japanese boys. Obviously, I’ve played against them, sat on the bench and saw the quality that their national team has. Maeda, Hatate and Kyogo, I think they’re all top players.”
Read more:
-
Chris Sutton urges Celtic to 'keep hitting the right shots' in Europe
-
Celtic told they need strong Rangers by former manager Martin O'Neill
Stamatelopoulos is excited about the upcoming hectic fixture schedule facing Motherwell as he aims to prove his worth in Scottish football and build up a consistent run of games.
The Australian forward experienced delays in his transfer from Newcastle Jets, coinciding with the arrival of his first child just as the deal was being finalised.
Upon his arrival in Scotland, he faced an unfortunate setback, suffering a thigh injury during his debut match against Rangers, which sidelined him for six weeks.
Stamatelopoulos made a notable comeback by scoring in his second appearance against Hibernian in early October. However, his progress was hindered again when he fell ill during international duty, leading to his early exit in last week’s home loss to Dundee.
"These next few weeks for me are vital, I think, especially knowing myself as a player, getting consistency for me is going to be the thing where I feel like I can show my best,” he said.
“So, once I get a run of games, I think I’ll start to perform at a higher level.
“I guess you could say I was a bit of a late bloomer. Like, last year was the first time where I’d put together more than three or four games in a row, and I was able to show what I could do, and I feel like this season’s going to be the same.
“Once I get a run of games, I can show everyone in Scottish football what I can do.”
