The Scottish champions are in Portugal for Thursday night's Europa League showdown at the Estadio da Luz

Celtic got their road to recovery back on track with a commanding win at Fir Park.

Now, Martin O’Neill’s men must keep the wheels turning under the bright lights of Lisbon. The Hoops’ team bus might have broken down at the hotel, but there was no stopping them as they slammed the brakes on a horrendous three-game losing streak.

Thursday’s trip to Benfica, though, is a different beast altogether. O’Neill is about to learn whether his side’s revival has genuine momentum or if Sunday’s win was nothing more than a false start.

Benfica have been motoring through the opening weeks of the season, winning nine of their first 10 games, with their only setback coming against table-topping Porto. And in Greek goal machine Vangelis Pavlidis, the Portuguese giants boast one of Europe’s most dangerous marksmen.

The striker has bagged a staggering 14 goals in as many games and will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a Celtic defence that has looked anything but watertight this season.

But after cruising to a routine 2-0 win over Vitoria SC at the weekend, boss Marco Silva hinted he could rotate his star-studded squad by giving his second string some valuable European experience. That would be music to O’Neill’s ears. But even if Benfica leave out some of their big hitters, Celtic will still face a daunting test at the Estadio da Luz.

O’Neill reverted to his familiar 4-3-3 at Motherwell and watched his battered and bruised side get back to winning ways. The veteran is likely to stick with that system in Lisbon, with Viljami Sinisalo continuing between the sticks. The Finnish keeper celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday with a rare clean sheet and looks to have edged ahead of Sam Johnstone in the battle for the No.1 jersey.

In defence, however, the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers leaves a gaping hole. The American stopper missed the Premiership return with a “strain” and remains sidelined for the midweek trip. Dane Murray stepped in alongside Liam Scales, with the homegrown talent helping keep a powderpuff Steelmen attack at bay.

But the giant centre-back, 23, was caught napping on a couple of occasions and those lapses might go unpunished against struggling domestic opposition, but Benfica are unlikely to be so forgiving. O’Neill is therefore expected to bring USA international Auston Trusty back into the fold.

The 27-year-old has his critics, but he has shown he can deliver when the pressure is on in Europe and Celtic are forced into backs-to-the-wall defending. Rising star Colby Donovan and experienced campaigner Kieran Tierney should occupy the full-back berths.

Captain Callum McGregor is expected to anchor the midfield, with new Germany cap Mika Baur operating slightly further forward. The £6.8million summer signing from Paderborn has already started to look like a bargain, producing another man-of-the-match display at the weekend to underline his growing stature.

Benjamin Nygren also helped himself to his sixth goal of the campaign at Fir Park. But the Swedish playmaker can go missing on the road in Europe and Celts will need far more than occasional flashes of attacking quality if they are to survive the Benfica onslaught. This is precisely the kind of night when O’Neill could rue not having a ready-made replacement for Arne Engels in the building.

The Belgian’s running power and defensive nous would be invaluable in closing down space and plugging the gaps in front of the back four - an area where the Parkhead side have badly missed his influence. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is an option after serving his three-game UEFA ban, but the ex-Champions League winner has barely had a look-in in green and white this season.

Oliver Sorensen is another alternative, although the on-loan Parma midfielder has struggled for game time and endured a miserable outing against Ferencvaros last time out. However, the biggest question Celtic fans will be asking is whether Kasper Hogh starts up front. The £11m record signing has gone seven games without a goal and looks desperately short of confidence.

But O’Neill knows what the Dane can do. Hogh tormented Champions League defences with Bodo/Glimt last season, and one big night in Lisbon could be just the tonic to get his Celtic career firing again.

Keeping Hogh through the middle would keep Colombian maverick Camilo Duran in his less favoured role on the right, with Sebastien Tounekti expected to get the nod on the opposite flank ahead of Haissem Hassan.

Egyptian World Cup star Hassan has shown flashes of electrifying quality since his big-money summer switch from Real Oviedo. His pace and trickery offer Celtic a genuine attacking threat, but his defensive work remains a huge concern. Leaving promising youngster Donovan exposed against Benfica’s explosive attack could leave Celtic badly burned.

Returning hero Jota would have relished the chance to come back and haunt his former club.

But the Benfica product has not been included in Celtic’s Europa League squad and will have to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates attempt to keep their European campaign on track.

Predicted Celtic XI: Sinisalo; Donovan, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Baur, Nygren; Duran, Hogh, Tounekti.