I know the threat Celtic star poses from my previous life - but we have nothing to fear

The pair crossed paths on several occasions during their time in Scandinavia, when Johansson was in charge of Rosenborg and Høgh led the line for Bodø/Glimt.

The Swede recalls the 6ft 1in hitman finding the net against his former club during a clash in Trondheim, although Johansson also enjoyed success against Høgh and his Bodø/Glimt teammates earlier in his coaching career.

“I’ve obviously come up against Kasper many times in Norway, so I know what his strengths and weaknesses are,” Johansson said. “My first game against Bodø/Glimt, I remember he scored against us in Trondheim. But we were one of the few teams that actually beat Bodø/Glimt.

“So I’ve also come out on the better end against him. He’s a really, really good player and I can see why Celtic have brought him in.”

Hogh represents one of several attacking threats Motherwell will have to contain against a Celtic side Johansson believes remain the Scottish Premiership’s most formidable opposition, despite recent results prompting increased scrutiny.

The Fir Park boss dismissed suggestions that recent turmoil surrounding the champions could give his team a psychological advantage, pointing instead to the underlying quality of their performances and personnel.

“They're top of the table,” he stated. “If you check the stats from the league, which we do, we compare data in different metrics and so on, they are smashing almost all of them in the Premiership.

“Just because of losing a couple of games, I think the amount of quality that they have in their squad, the amount of talent, they're a good team. Let's just stop there and let's not be ridiculous.”

Johansson knows Motherwell must attack with courage and be disciplined defensively, particularly against Celtic's ability to stretch opponents. He has challenged his players to recapture the fearlessness that defined their best performances last season.

“Celtic are obviously a possession-based team,” he explained. “They want to create chances. They have runs in behind. They have wingers that cause a lot of issues for the opponent one-v-one, both with the ball at their feet but also going in behind - which is where they are deadly.

“We need to be a strong collective defensively. We need to be aggressive when we press and we need to be covering each other's back when they are a little bit more direct. But then we also need to be brave to play and to show the quality that we have as well.”

Preparation for Sunday's league encounter included a bounce game against EFL Championship side Bolton Wanderers during the international break, which Johansson described as vital after an extended spell without competitive action.

“It was key,” he responded when asked if that exercise could pay dividends when they lock horns with Martin O’Neill’s side. “They had a lot of quality players with a lot of physicality, speed and strength, so for us to practice against a strong team like that was beneficial. We shared some numbers in comparing budgets as well, which was quite a big difference, I must say.”

Get our daily football newsletter by clicking here