Celticvs.Kilmarnock

The hosts are heading into this game having won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five, while the visitors have won two, lost two and drawn one.

Match preview

Celtic have had a simply sensational 2024-25 season to date, sitting top of the Scottish Premiership table with a 13-point lead, on course to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League and have already lifted the Scottish League Cup final.

Brendan Rodgers's men have lost just two of their 33 games played across all competitions, including a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund and a 3-0 loss to Rangers at the beginning of this month.

However, the Bhoys have shown great character to instantly bounce back from both defeats, putting together a lengthy unbeaten run following the loss to Dortmund, while they have won three and drawn one of their four matches since the Old Firm derby defeat.

Now heading into their fourth competition of the campaign, Rodgers will be looking for his side to extend their unbeaten run and progress into the fifth round, with an eye on defending their Scottish Cup trophy for a third successive season.

The Bhoys will certainly fancy their chances of recording a win against Kilmarnock, given Celtic have not lost to Killie at Celtic Park for 20 consecutive matches, spanning back to October 2012.

Killie are also enduring a difficult time heading into this game, having won just three of their last 13 matches, alongside six losses and four draws in that time.

Those results leave Derek McInnes's side sitting ninth in the Scottish Premiership table with 25 points from 23 games, after six wins, seven draws and 10 defeats, a far cry from the fourth-placed finish they achieved last year.

Kilmarnock have particularly struggled for goals this season, with only Ross County scoring fewer than their tally of 25 in 23 league matches, including going without a goal in their last two outings.

McInnes's side will be the underdogs heading into this one against Celtic, but the manager will be hoping a shock victory could help turnaround their underwhelming start to the term.

Celtic form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

W

D

Kilmarnock form (all competitions):

D

W

L

W

L

D

Team News

Celtic will be without Daizen Maeda (strain) and James Forrest (foot) for this match due to ongoing injury issues, though both are likely to return later this month.

After a disappointing 3-3 draw with Dundee in their last outing, Rodgers could make several changes to his side for this one, with Arne Engels and Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn expected to start.

As for the visitors, Kyle Vassell (shin) and Stuart Findlay (ankle) are both set to be ruled out until the end of the month due to injury issues.

Kilmarnock's top scorer in the league, Bruce Anderson, started on the bench in their recent 0-0 draw with Motherwell, but the forward is likely to start here with McInnes's side lacking goals.

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Valle; McCowan, McGregor, Engels; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Hyun-Jun

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:

O'Hara; Mayo, Wright, Deas; Armstrong, Lyons, Polworth, Ndaba; Murray, Wales; Anderson

We say: Celtic 3-0 Kilmarnock

The hosts are certainly the favourites to secure the win here, particularly with Kilmarnock's recent struggles for results and goals, and we expect Celtic to comfortably win this one.

Written by

Ellis Stevens

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