Saturday 11th February 2016 Kickoff: 12.15hrs Celtic v Inverness Caley Thistle Football – Scotland – Scottish Cup The Scottish Cup takes centre stage in Scotland this weekend as 16 teams battle it out for a place in the quarter finals. Celtic have already wrapped up the first domestic cup competition of the season having secured the League Cup back in November and are now on the hunt for a treble, where as Saturday’s game may prove to be a welcome distraction from league duties for Inverness who are rooted to the foot of the Scottish Premiership. That said, Caley remain the only Scottish team who have prevented the Hoops from winning a game this season – could they manage another shock?
Celtic survived a scare in the league last week having trailed 2-1 away to St Johnstone, recovering in the second half to take another three points and one step closer to their sixth consecutive league title. With a 27 point lead over second place Aberdeen it is virtually assured that they will add the Premiership crown to their League Cup triumph meaning their focus for the remainder of the campaign is very much on securing the Scottish Cup which would complete their first treble since 2001, it would also mean Brendan Rodgers would become just the third manager in the club’s history to win such an accolade. They breezed past a defiant Albion Rovers in the previous round which was their first game back after the winter break. Although they are overwhelming favourites to progress into the quarter finals they do have some history with Inverness who famously knocked them out when a lower league side in 1999 before doing similar in 2003. More recently the two clashed in the 2015 semi-final which ended in a 3-2 win for Caley Thistle.
This season has been something of a disaster for Inverness who have managed only three wins in the league from 24 games. That form leaves them three points adrift at the foot of the table and have not won a game in the Premiership since the end of October – a total of 13 games. Despite only being one win away from moving off the bottom, their current form leaves an awful lot to be desired and unless they turn things around very quickly it will look much bleaker in their battle to avoid the drop. When on such a dismal run cup competitions can either be a blessing or a hindrance, usually dependant on who they are drawn against. Inverness survived a massive scare away to League Two Elgin in the previous round, coming from behind to win 2-1. Their reward for that, if you can call it that, is a trip to the runaway league leaders. Although nobody expects Richie Foran’s men to get a result at Celtic Park and the lack of pressure could see them play with a bit more freedom, it can also work the other way and should they play to the level they have been, Caley could well be on the wrong end of a big score line, which is bound to have an impact on their mentality when they return to league action.
Celtic v Inverness Betting Tip
It’s hard to imagine two teams coming into this game in more contrasting circumstances but the nature of any cup competitions means no matter current form there is always the chance of an upset. That will be the message that Foran is attempting to deliver to his players in the build-up to this one whilst his counterpart will simply be looking for his team to play with the same level of professionalism and attitude that has seen them so well this season.
Although the previous encounters between these two in the Scottish Cup will have absolutely no bearing on Saturday it is reminder that pretty much anything can happen and a bit of luck can go a long way in one-off games. Caley have definitely been a bogey team for the Hoops over the years and even in their first game of this season they managed to grab a point after being absolutely battered for the entirety of the second half. They will need something similar to even get a reply out of this one on Saturday.
Moussa Dembele returned to the Celtic team in the second half of last week’s win over St Johnstone and his impact was immediate with a classy hat-trick. His inclusions ensures Celtic are a much more rounded and balanced attacking force and if they resume in the kind of form that seen them score four goals in just over half an hour it could be a very long afternoon for the visitors. Celtic have been utterly dominant in domestic games and they can win both halves against Inverness on Saturday.
Celtic to win both halves 21/20 @ Sportingbet
