Celtic v Aberdeen
Saturday 9th March 1500hrs
Football – Scotland – Premiership
Pick Celtic to win and both teams to score
Bookmaker Boylesports
Odds: 5/2 (odds taken 18.00 GMT, Friday 8th March)
This will be Neil Lennon’s first match back at Celtic Park after arriving as interim boss last week and he’ll be looking to lead his team to another three points and a step closer to the title, with Aberdeen out to spoil his homecoming.
Scottish Premiership Betting at Boylesports
Celtic Preview
Considering the dramatical nature of Lennon’s return to Celtic, the first week or so could not have been any better as the Hoops have secured two vital wins at difficult away venues. A last-minute Odsonne Edouard goal away to Hearts ensured they kept their eight-point lead in the Scottish Premiership, whilst a confident and assured display against Lennon’s former club, Hibs, seen them safely negotiate their passage to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup where they may well face Aberdeen depending on the result of the Dons’ replay against Rangers. By the time that game comes around, Celtic will be hoping to be in just as strong a position in the league as they currently are. To do that, Lennon will be looking to continue their excellent domestic form in 2019 which has seen them win 11 straight between the Premiership and Scottish Cup. In that time, they have conceded just two goals but recent meetings against Aberdeen have been hard fought and the new manager will be well aware of that. March is going to be pivotal month in terms of the title race with the next Glasgow derby coming at the very end. The challenge for Celtic is to get to that point with a minimum eight-point lead and they will be in with a great chance of securing an eighth straight league title.
Aberdeen Preview
This will be Aberdeen’s first of two trips to Glasgow within the space of four days, with their Scottish Cup replay at Ibrox taking place on Tuesday. It’s likely that the latter of those two games will be more of a priority for both the team and supporters as it would keep them in with a chance of winning silverware. There have been suggestions that Derek McInnes could rest some of his key players ahead of that replay but I would think that unlikely as Aberdeen relish the challenge of going head to head with the big Glasgow clubs. The Dons will also been keen to continue their excellent winning run away from home which has seen them break a club record with seven straight in all competitions. It’s a testament to just how well drilled Aberdeen are under McInnes, illustrated further with wins in Glasgow against Rangers this season, at both Hampden and Ibrox, whilst their only visit to Celtic Park in this campaign ended in a narrow 1-0 loss. It’s safe to say it will be a pivotal week in the club’s season and a positive result and performance on Saturday would be the best approach for Aberdeen heading into that crunch replay.
Key-Facts – Celtic v Aberdeen
- Celtic have won all three meetings against Aberdeen this season – all by a one goal margin
- Aberdeen have scored on nine of their last 13 visits to Celtic Park, winning only twice
- The game marks Neil Lennon’s first home game since returning to Celtic as manager
Celtic v Aberdeen Betting Advice
Celtic have won all three meetings against Aberdeen this season, including a win in the League Cup final. All the games have been closely contested, though, with just a single goal margin separating the two on all three occasions. The league game at Celtic Park and the cup final ended 1-0 whist the match at Pittodrie on Boxing Day ended 4-3 to Celtic in what remains one of the games of the season. It shows just how competitive the meetings are we can expect another tight one tomorrow.
Lennon has returned to Celtic and the transition has appeared to be seamless with the league leaders continuing to win vital games – a mark of them under the previous manager. This is certainly another one of those as their lead may well be five points come kick off. Aberdeen have the best away record in the league at the time of writing and did win at Celtic Park on the final day of last season, although the title was already wrapped up. Aberdeen have scored on nine of their last 13 visits to Celtic but on the winning side just twice so Celtic to win and both teams to score looks a good value bet in this game.
