Wednesday 20th December 2017 Kickoff 1945 Celtic v Partick Thistle Football – Scottish – Premiership Having not tasted defeat in Scotland for well over a season, Celtic will be chomping at the bit to get back to winning ways at the first time of asking when they face Partick Thistle on Wednesday at Celtic Park. Brendan Rodgers’s suffered a loss to a Scottish team for the first time since taking charge in the summer of 2016 and it will not be an experience he wishes to repeat against the team who are currently bottom of the table. For the visitors it is an ominous task but could they be catching their hosts a time when they’re most vulnerable.
All good things have to come to an end and that was certainly the case for Celtic on Sunday. Having went 69 domestic games unbeaten – a run that spanned from May 2016 – only to lose it in spectacular fashion against Hearts on Sunday. The Hoops went down 4-0 and were well beaten without any excuses. Nevertheless, it would be remiss not to note just how big an achievement the run was and it encapsulated an invincible treble as well as breaking a number of their own records. It’s done now, however, and they have to get back to business which begins with the visit of Partick on Wednesday. This represents Celtic’s game in hand and as the gap between themselves and second placed Aberdeen is just two points, then it’s a significant one at that. Whilst Celtic are top of the league and remain big favourites to win another title, it’s reasonable to suggest that they have yet to hit the heights of last season and recent draws away to Motherwell and Hibs would evidence that. There are four games left between now and the winter break and the challenge for Rodgers and his men is to win all of them to cement their position as the best team in Scotland.
Although not on the same level as their opponents, Partick Thistle are another team who have not been consistently at the standard they set for themselves in the previous campaign. Alan Archibald’s men secured a top six spot last season and made a sizeable investment in the squad over the summer in an attempt to continue the improvement this time around. Unfortunately for the Jags, they have – as is so often the case – found it difficult to maintain their performances and get the same results. The Firhill club are currently at the foot of the Scottish Premiership and have managed only three wins all season long. Should they win this, which is also their game in hand over the teams around them – they would climb up to second bottom but that is obviously a tall ask. A more realistic view to take is for them to turn in a far better performance than they displayed in their 3-0 defeat to Dundee on Saturday to give them confidence going into this weekend’s massive clash at home to Hamilton. Archibald will take some solace from the fact that his team often apply themselves well against Celtic and managed to be one of the few clubs who took a point off the Champions last season.
Celtic v Partick Thistle Betting Tip
It was the Celtic defenders who came in for most criticism after the weekend’s loss to Hearts, and rightly so considering some of the individual errors which led to their opponent’s goals, but the whole team have not been of the standard we have come to expect. The midfield have struggled to dominate games in the same fashion whilst Celtic’s attackers have laboured at times and not contributed in the same way when romping to the treble. There are mitigating circumstances of course what with their participation in the Champions League but that’s the price of success and they simply have to deal with it. Partick’s away form is pretty atrocious as the Jags have failed to win any of their nine games on the road in the league. They are the only team to hold that unwanted record in the Scottish top flight and although they are no longer invincible, it’s unlikely that Thistle will find their first win on the road on Wednesday.
Celtic will more than likely return to winning ways but I expect this game to follow a similar pattern to last year’s matches at home to Thistle where they mustered only two goals in two games. A home win with less than three goals scored is the way to go.
Celtic to win and under 2.5 goals 14/5 @ Boylesports
