12th May 2017 Kickoff: 1945hrs Aberdeen v Celtic – Football – Scotland – Scottish Premiership Celtic wrapped up the title a long time ago but Friday night pits Scotland’s two best teams against each other and also acts as a precursor for the Scottish Cup final which will be played at the end of this month. Aberdeen wrapped up second spot last weekend and will look to lay down a marker of sorts against a team they have already lost to on all four occasions this term. The visitors, on the other hand, are still hunting down their first ever unbeaten league campaign. It may not mean anything in terms of league placing but here is still plenty at stake for both clubs.
Aberdeen secured the runners up spot in the Scottish Premiership for a third consecutive season with a hard fought 2-1 win over Hearts last weekend. It’s fair to say that this particular finish will be the sweetest for Derek McInnes and his team as they were expected to be pushed into third following Rangers’ promotion last season. In truth, the Dons have simply been much more consistent and reliable over the course of the season, and as Celtic have never been in the sights of any other team they have virtually won their own mini-league within the Premiership. To add to that achievement Aberdeen have also reached both domestic up finals which is no mean feat. Celtic have already accounted for them in the league cup showpiece back in October but they will have their chance for revenge on the 27th May as they two clash at Hampden. There is the little matter of three league points up for grabs tomorrow, though.
Celtic fans will not be wanting this season to end as it just continues to get better and better for the Hoops. Having secured their place in the Scottish Cup final courtesy of a dominant win over Rangers, the champions followed that up with a dismantling of the same team in their own backyard – recording a thumping 5-1 victory to underline the seismic gap that exists between the two. Brendan Rodgers was able to add to the good feeling surrounding the club by giving a couple of talented youngsters their debuts in another scintillating win last weekend, this time against St Johnstone. The day after that seen Celtic clean up at the Scottish Professional Player of the Year awards which was testament to their dominance in Scotland over the course of this season. With just three league games to go and the small matter of that cup final, an unbeaten invincible season is within touching distance for Celtic. Rodgers’ is clear that he and his players are concerned only about the treble but you can guarantee that he will be fielding the strongest team available to him tomorrow in what appears to be their biggest hurdle of going through the league campaign without losing.
Aberdeen v Celtic Betting Tip
Both managers have been quick to dismiss this as anything like a dress rehearsal for the Scottish Cup final in just over a fortnight’s time but you can’t help but think that it could have a psychological effect. Certainly, if Aberdeen were able to take the three points it would increase their belief no end having lost all four meetings previous, whilst a comprehensive win for the away time could do the complete opposite. Whatever happens, it’s a game between first and second so we can expect it to be competitive, nevertheless.
Aberdeen and Celtic will be without their captains for this win as Ryan Jack and Scott Brown miss out through injury and suspension respectively. Both of those players bring a huge amount to their teams but we can still expect this one to be fiery. Aberdeen will look to capitalize on what opposition managers perceive Celtic’s biggest weakness to be which is defending crosses into their box and with plenty of physicality in their ranks we can expect that tactic to be deployed often. For Celtic, they’ll attempt to dominate possession as they always do and stretch the game in the wide areas. Celtic have dropped only four points from their 17 away games, both of which have come in the Highlands. The Dons still boast a very good home record with three defeats all season but two of those have come in their last two games at Pittodrie. I can definitely see the hosts making this difficult for Celtic but Rodgers has been able to keep motivation levels extraordinarily high and with so many weapons at their disposal, they are likely to have too much once again.
Celtic 4/5 @ Paddy Power
