Sunday 27th November 2016 Kickoff: 1500hrs
Celtic v Aberdeen
Football – Scotland – League Cup
The first domestic cup final of the Scottish season takes place on Sunday at the National Stadium as Celtic face Aberdeen. It will be the first time the two have met in a final since 2000, in the same competition incidentally, when Celtic edged the Dons 2-0 under interim manager Kenny Dalglish. With the demotion of Rangers, Aberdeen have been Celtic’s closest challengers in the league without ever really being able to topple them, and with this being Brendan Rodgers first chance of an honour in his time at Celtic, there will be no shortage of motivation on either side.
Celtic booked their place in the final with a deserved 1-0 win over Rangers in the semi-final. Despite the narrow margin of victory, the Hoops were clearly superior on the day and should have been much more comfortable. That victory followed two comprehensive home wins against Motherwell and Alloa but they can expect to face their sternest test yet in the League Cup on Sunday against an Aberdeen team who have proved troublesome at times over the past few years. Celtic have been virtually untouchable in Scotland this term, with Inverness the only team to have prevented them from winning, and a 1-0 win at Pittodrie last month means they have already gotten the better of their weekend opponents this season. The Bhoys will come into this game on the back of a defeat, however, after losing 2-0 to Barcelona at Celtic Park on Wednesday in the Champions League. It was a much more positive performance than the one they turned in away to Barca, but it also means they will now have no European football after Christmas. Rodgers was dealt a further blow with the news that Scott Sinclair will be missing for a month having picked up an injury on Wednesday.
Aberdeen have not been able to find the consistency they would have liked this term but they still find themselves in second place (albeit 10 points behind Celtic having played a game more) and contesting the first final of the Scottish season. Their route to this stage has been relatively straightforward, seeing off Ayr United, St Johnstone and Greenock Morton en route. Manager Derek McInnes elected to play conservatively when Aberdeen entertained Celtic in their previous meeting, choosing to play without a recognised striker. It will be interesting if he follows a similar path on Sunday or decides to utilise Adam Rooney who is their biggest goal threat and has the ability to disrupt and annoy Celtic’s centre halves who, incidentally, have yet to concede a goal in this competition as yet. Whoever plays for Aberdeen, you can be sure they will have huge motivation and desire, and will look to upset the rhythm of Celtic – particularly in the middle of the park. Since losing to the champions and league leaders, the Dons have recovered well to win back to back away games against Inverness and Partick Thistle. Those wins should provide the players with some confidence as they approach the final and they will also have the backing of half of Hampden with the SFA allocating an equal share of tickets to both sets of supporters.
With Sinclair being out, it will likely mean a recall to the starting line-up for Patrick Roberts. The on loan Manchester City winger has struggled to establish himself as a regular under Rodgers but he has undoubted talent and will relish the big occasion. Other than his inclusion, it will be much the same for Rodgers who has trusted the same core group of players in his first few months in charge. Leigh Griffiths will return to the squad after a brief spell out with injury but will make do with a place on the bench as Moussa Dembele continues to lead the line. Dembele has scored four goals in the League Cup this season in just three games, including the late winner against Rangers back in October. He will be Celtic’s main threat once again as he and some of the other summer signings chase their first major honour.
Aberdeen know they can trouble Celtic if taking the game to them, as they done in the last 10 minutes of the match back in October, but it was just too little too late that time. If they allow Celtic to settle into the game and get on the front foot, then it’s very difficult to imagine any outcome other than the one that is favoured by the bookmakers – a Celtic victory. McInnes has to find some way to combine being hard to break down but carrying much more of a threat at the other end, from the outset.
Celtic v Aberdeen Betting Tips
Celtic’s record in League Cup finals is very poor all things considered, and they never seem to make it easy for themselves at Hampden. They last won the competition back in 2015 but lost their previous two final appearances against Rangers and Kilmarnock before that. Aberdeen are also recent winners of this, beating Inverness on penalties back in 2014.
This will be the first time the final will be played before Christmas since 1999, reverting back to its traditional time on the football calendar. The Hoops will be looking to win it in their quest for a first treble in 15 seasons, and succeed in winning their 100th major trophy since being founded in 1888. Aberdeen will be desperate to spoil the party but they will have to be more adventurous and get at Celtic from an earlier stage.
Hampden is often a great leveller on these occasions and the absence of Sinclair is a blow for Rodgers but there is a real positive feeling surrounding Celtic at the moment and their squad will prove capable enough here, I think. The inclusion of Roberts means they will lose little going forward and it’s their attacking threat that can see them through. Celtic have only failed to score in the first half of two of their 15 domestic games and should they do so again, the nature of this game will mean they stand a great chance of scoring in both halves.
Celtic to score in both halves 7/5 @ Bwin
