Friday 18th November 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs Kilmarnock v Celtic
Football – Scotland – Scottish Premiership
With the international break now over until March, club football takes centre stage again for the next five months. For most that will be a welcome relief and Kilmarnock and Celtic supporters do not have long to wait as Scottish Premiership action returns on Friday at Rugby Park. Celtic stretched their lead to 10 points last time out, and also have a game in hand. Whilst Kilmarnock are in the bottom six, it has been a relatively good first third of the campaign and one they will be looking to continue starting this weekend.
Lee Clark took over from Gary Locke last season and guided the Ayrshire club to safety via the end of season play offs where they defeated Championship side Falkirk with ease in the end. They were tipped to struggle again this term but after 13 games they find themselves in seventh having accumulated 14 points. Much of that is attributed to their last five games which have rewarded them with two draws and two wins. Their only defeat in that run was a heavy lost at Ibrox but they are in a good position in spite of that. What Clark has managed to do is make them harder to beat at home as they come into this game with only one loss in their last five at Rugby Park, that coming against second place Aberdeen. That said, Killie have actually only managed one win at home in the league thus far, coming in a midweek game against Hearts. Celtic will represent a completely different test of course but they will take some heart from being able to hold Rangers to a 1-1 draw at the end of August – a similar result and performance would be extremely well received come Friday.
Despite coming to the club with a massive reputation for everything he achieved in English football, it’s still pretty remarkable to see how much of an impact Brendan Rodgers has had since arriving in the summer. His first priority was to get the club qualified for the group stages of the Champions League which he achieved, and reassert their dominance in Scottish football – he’s well on his way to doing that. The 10 point lead at the top of the Premiership has come courtesy of 10 wins from their first 11 games. Inverness remain the only Scottish team to have taken any points off them thus far and they have been in little dangers of conceding any further points. That consistency is extremely hard to continue, however, and coming off the back of an international break when 14 of their players have been travelling all around the world to play with their countries, combined with playing a day earlier than normal and away to a team on an artificial surface, those types of levelers have to be overcome if they are to continue their current winning run of six straight league games. One of those was a 6-1 success against this opponent back in September.
Kilmarnock suffered a blow with the news that their main striker Kris Boyd will miss this game after picking up an injury in training this week. Now in his third spell at the club, Boyd has been a pivotal figure under Clark and his experience will be a miss against the current league leaders and champions. On a slightly more positive note, however, if that injury came this time last season it would have been disastrous, as it is they have more depth to their squad and goals have been shared more evenly. The main man for goals this season has been summer signing Souleymane Coulibaly who currently has six to his name including a spectacular effort when these two met at Celtic Park. That was as good as it got that day for Killie but there’s no doubting he’s a man in form and will be a threat to Celtic’s defence.
The likes of Tom Rogic and Emilio Izaguirre will only arrive back in Scotland on Thursday so there could well be some changes for Rodgers as he looks to get the best use of his squad. With Barcelona to come this midweek in the Champions League, that is even more important. One man who will almost certainly start is the French sensation Moussa Dembele who could not be in better form. Having only arrived at the club from Fulham this summer, Dembele had to wait his turn to get a regular start in the team but he has not looked back since. A hat-trick against Rangers in the Glasgow derby has been the catalyst for him to score 10 goals in his last 14 games at club level. Combine that with his form for France’s U21’s where he has also notched four in three game – including two stunning strikers against England on Monday – then he simply must start when available.
Kilmarnock v Celtic Betting Tips
Although Celtic cruised to victory at Celtic Park earlier this season, they have struggled recently at Rugby Park. Last season seen them draw 2-2 and require an incredible last minute goal from Rogic to claim the win in March. The surface is not usually conducive to the quick, passing football that Celtic like to play but there has been heavy rain in the area this week so it may be a bit slicker than normal.
Kilmarnock have been difficult to beat on their own patch and will try to make it difficult for the visitors for as long as possible. Despite taking the lead early on at Celtic Park, they virtually conceded straightaway and that spelled the end. Clark will likely start with five in midfield but such is the quality that Celtic possess, cutting off the threat from the centre of the park is only half the battle. Patrick Roberts, Scott Sinclair and James Forrest add real width to the team and that could be the secret for the champions. Kilmarnock have definitely improved of late but I can’t see them having enough to take anything from this match. Celtic have won and there’s been over three goals on six of their 11 league games this season, and that’s the selection on Friday.
Celtic and Over 3.5 goals 5/4 @ Coral
