Wednesday 28th February 2018 Kick off 1945hrs Celtic v Dundee Football – Scotland – Scottish Premiership Celtic restored their nine point lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership courtesy of a 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Sunday. They may well have that lead cut once again before they face Dundee at home on Wednesday with their Glasgow rivals playing a day earlier. For Dundee they remain clear of Ross County at the bottom of the table but they are still very much involved in the battle to avoid finishing 11th and being involved in the relegation playoff come the end of the campaign – anything they can get in tomorrow’s game would be most welcome.
It’s certainly not been vintage Celtic for the majority of the season but the undeniable fact is that they have been, and remain, the best team in Scotland by a considerable distance. Aberdeen threatened them somewhat on Sunday but in the main the difference in quality was there to see as Brendan Rodgers recorded his ninth straight win over that opponent. It was Celtic’s first win in three league games, though, having lost to Kilmarnock and drawn with St Johnstone without scoring a goal in either. Now that they have exited Europe (having been involved since July) it should allow for more consistent team selections and the hope it is will enable a higher standard of performance, week in, week out. What will also facilitate that is the return from injury of a number of key players such as Tom Rogic and Patrick Roberts. Both were instrumental in the treble winning season and will make a huge difference to Rodgers’ attacking options as we approach the final months of this campaign. Rodgers would also have been delighted with the performance of Moussa Dembele on Sunday as he scored and assisted.
Neil McCann performed something of a minor miracle last season to steer Dundee to safety in what was a dramatic turnaround. McCann elected to stay on as a boss and give up his lucrative television contract, and whilst it has not been as successful as he would have liked, they looked well capable of staying in the Scottish Premiership for another season at least. The Dens Park club are currently in ninth spot, seven points clear of bottom dogs Ross County and four above Partick Thistle who occupy that relegation playoff position. McCann would have been very frustrated that his team could not build on the vital 2-1 win away to Thistle a couple of weeks ago as they lost 1-0 at home to Motherwell on Saturday. Dundee have been unable to string two consecutive wins together sine the end of November which shows just how hard it has been for them. A visit to Celtic Park is unlikely to bring with it much hope or expectation considering they have not won at this stadium since 2001. On a more positive note, however, it is now three wins in their last four away games which will give them some confidence at least.
Celtic v Dundee Betting Tip
There has been some excitement around the Scottish game that there may be a title challenge on the horizon which looked extremely unlikely before Christmas. In all honesty, it still looks unlikely as Celtic essentially have a 10 point lead thanks to a superior goal difference and with 10 games left to go, it would require an almighty collapse from the champions. With the next Glasgow Derby to come a week on Sunday there is at least an opportunity to reduce the margin but Celtic will only be worrying about this game and ensuring they go into Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarter final with Morton with no less than a nine point lead. Dundee, on the other hand, will just be looking for a similar performance that has brought them nine points from their last four away games in the league as that approach is clearly effective.
Celtic have dominated this fixture as you would expect when comparing the respective resources and have already defeated Dundee three times this season having been drawn together in the League Cup. The last meeting between the two at Celtic Park was probably the tightest of the trio, with the hosts running out narrow 1-0 winners. Celtic are getting key players back just at the right time though, and will have been boosted with the manner of the victory over Aberdeen on Sunday as they seen it out with 10 men. I think Dundee are vulnerable, on the other hand, and may be on the wrong end of heavy defeat as the Hoops look to lay down a marker to the rest of Scottish football. Celtic will look to get out on top and stay there, and the value bet is for them to win both halves in this one.
Celtic to win both halves 119/100 @ Marathon Bet
