Hibernianvs.Celtic

The hosts suffered a 3-0 defeat to St Mirren in their first fixture, while the visitors enjoyed a 4-0 victory against Kilmarnock in their opening game.

Match preview

After finishing third in 2020-21, Hibernian will be extremely disappointed with their inconsistency in the following three campaigns, placing eighth, fifth and eighth.

Their form has seen an upturn since the closing stages of last season, winning seven of their last 11 matches across friendly and competitive competitions.

David Gray would have been hopeful of producing a testing performance against a St Mirren side that secured their place in European qualification this term, but Hibernian instead suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat.

However, Gray can take some positives from the match, as his side dominated possession and took more shots than St Mirren, 15 to 9, but he now needs his team to be more clinical in front of goal.

Celtic, in stark contrast, continued their phenomenal run of form from last year and pre-season into their opening match of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership, humiliating Kilmarnock with a 4-0 win.

That victory leaves them on a run of 18 matches without defeat in all competitions, while they have only lost two of their last 33 games, losing 2-0 to Hearts on both occasions.

Brendan Rodgers will be delighted with that start to the season as he aims to guide the side to a fourth successive league title and their 13th in the last 14 seasons.

Celtic have historically enjoyed this fixture, losing just one of the last 22 meetings, a 4-2 defeat at Easter Road Stadium in 2023, and winning 14 in that time.

Hibernian Scottish Premiership form:

Hibernian form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

W

L

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:

Celtic form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

W

W

Team News

Hibernian will be without Thody Elie Youan for this game with the forward still recovering from a leg injury that he sustained in July, but otherwise, Gray will have a full squad to choose from.

Goalkeeper Josef Bursik and centre-back duo Marvin Ekpiteta and Warren O'Hora were all handed debuts in Hibernian's last outing, and all three are likely to play from the start again here.

Celtic are unable to call upon the services of Daizen Maeda with the striker continuing his spell on the sidelines with a bruised knee, leaving a front three of James Forrest, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn likely to play again.

Last season's star performer Matt O'Riley, who contributed 31 goals in the league alone, has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer, but the midfielder excelled in the opening game of the campaign and is likely to play again here.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Bursik; Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita; Moriah-Welsh, Newell; Boyle, Campbell, Molotnikov; Vente

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O'Riley, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Forrest

We say: Hibernian 0-3 Celtic

Celtic are on a phenomenal run of results that stretches across from last campaign, and we expect them to be too strong for the hosts here with a comfortable 3-0 win.

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