THERE may not be many Scottish teams who will travel to Celtic Park this season with a swagger in their step, particularly having been on the end of a 3-0 cuffing on their previous visit.

But then again, there aren’t many teams in the Premiership who have been so utterly transformed since that meeting back in mid-December as Motherwell have been.

The introduction of youngsters Jake Hastie and David Turnbull has injected a freshness and vitality to a side that has now won their last six league matches, a record only matched over that period by Celtic themselves.

Something has to give as the two go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon in Glasgow’s East End, and Robinson is talking confidence from the fact that his young players will travel to take on the champions having not suffered the bruising setbacks against Celtic that the majority of his senior members of his squad may have in the past.

They also have the wind at their backs, with the same starting eleven taking to the field in their last five matches, meaning the only surprise likely to be found in their selection for the locals on Sunday being how adventurous Motherwell’s approach may well be.

“They go there with a freshness and the young mentality of having no fear,” Robinson said.

“They don’t have loads of respect and I mean that in the best possible way. They just go there and try to play football.

“I think they can handle it, but we need to perform to the same levels [as we have been in the last six league games]. To get anything at all from Celtic Park you need to play at the best of your ability and your goalkeeper needs to have a very good game.

“When you are a bit older and wiser you think about things a bit more. [But] if you can’t go into the game confident after six wins a row, then you never will.

“It is a tough game against a good side, but we will try and play the same positive way we have been doing.”

Robinson isn’t banking on Celtic being jaded from their Europa League trip to Spain to face Valencia last night by the time Sunday’s game rolls around, citing the strength in depth that Brendan Rodgers is able to call upon in his squad as evidence of the task that awaits his men.

But the strength of the options at Robinson’s disposal over recent weeks has been notable too, with the likes of current club captain Peter Hartley, former captain Carl McHugh and attacking threats like Elliott Frear and James Scott having to be content with places on the bench.

That fact is further fuelling Robinson’s belief that if his team can keep it tight at the back, they now have the creative players to hurt any opposition, and that is what is driving much of the positivity around Fir Park in the build-up to the match.

“With a squad of Celtic’s size, I’m not sure how much of an advantage [the Valencia match] will be,” he said. “Even if Celtic put out a B side they would be up there in the top two of the league.

“They are a strong outfit and I don’t think that will have much of an influence. They are a top football side and they continue to do it, their standards are so high.

“It is a tough task for any team in the Premiership to go there and get a result. But, we are a bit of the unknown. We have boys who have come in and given us a freshness.

“We always knew we would have more players who could win a football match for us after the break. We didn’t have that in the first part of the season. We got robbed of a few like Craig Tanner.

“But, I was always confident it would happen and in a tight game we have creative players. We have players who can hurt them on the pitch, and from the bench.

“We always knew that when we were able to get Jake back from his loan, get Elliott further up the pitch and get Gboly [Ariyibi] in and get him fit, that we would have more people that can win a football match for us.

“We defended well last time we went there but switched off individually at the goals. We then didn’t take the game to them quick enough.

“Our mindset was maybe a little bit too negative but it won’t be this time.”