Celtic have to pick themselves up from the disappointment of being knocked out the Europa League by Inter Milan on Thursday night as they begin a huge month of domestic fixtures with a home game against second placed Aberdeen. Despite equipping themselves very well over the two leg tie, they came up short and their focus will now be winning a domestic treble. Their form in Scotland has been excellent since the turn of the year, winning all nine of their domestic games with an aggregate of 20-1. The match against Aberdeen will still be their toughest test in that run, however, as the Dons have been on their trail for a while now and when you factor in playing with 10 men for nearly an hour away from home in Europe, it promises to be a fascinating encounter.
If people had said Aberdeen would be three points behind Celtic entering into the first week of March (albeit having played a game more) you would have struggled to believe them. The Glasgow club have had it so easy for the past few years since the demotion of Rangers so the rise of Aberdeen this season has been a most welcome surprise. Their consistency, both home and away, has been a real strength and it’s breeding confidence throughout the squad. Their tally of nine wins away from home is only one less than they managed all of last season (when finishing third) and they come into this game on a run of seven wins and a draw from their last eight in the league, keeping a clean sheet in all those victories.
The signings of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven from Dundee United have provided a huge boost to everybody at the club. Both have slotted in seamlessly to the starting line-up, scoring and creating goals, and as a result, Celtic look a much more threatening side going forward. Their last game for their previous club was also against Aberdeen, winning in the League Cup semi-final, 2-1.
Derek McInnes has always tried to get his team’s organised and make them hard to beat. He’s certainly been successful in achieving that as they have lost only five games all season, with the second best defensive record in the league. What has been more surprising is how dynamic they have looked going forward, which has been a problem for them over the last few years. Since losing to Dundee United last month, they have scored 10 goals in three games, keeping clean sheets in all them.
This will certainly be the biggest game of the Scottish season, possibly the last three seasons. Celtic have to get over their Euro hangover and they are certainly capable of doing that. The away side will be looking for a chink in their armour as they look to go level on points with the league leaders. I think home advantage will be crucial here and Celtic have hit their best form of the season recently. I was surprised to see them odds against -1 on the Asian Handicap and with the insurance of getting your stake back if Celtic win by one goal, I think this is an outstanding bet.
Celtic -1(AH) 11/10 @ Betvictor
