Scottish champions Celtic look to keep up their long unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership as they take on a Kilmarnock side who are without a point from their two league games.
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Draw Best Odd of: 6 at Betway |
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Kilmarnock
CelticKilmarnock
Kilmarnock began their domestic season in the middle of July, with a 1-0 defeat to Ayr United in the Scottish League Cup. However, they bounced back to win their next three and advance to the knockout stages as one of the best group runners-up.
In that first knockout round, they came up against a rampant Celtic and were outplayed in every department as they were beaten 5-0. Either side of that thrashing, they played two home league games against St Johnstone and Hearts.
They put in a good performance in the first of those, having more shots on goal and forcing several saves from the opposition goalkeeper. It was all in vain though, as they conceded an 89th minute goal to lose 2-1.
The second was a hard-fought contest, won by Hearts with a sixth minute goal which turned out to be the only one of the game. Kilmarnock again had several chances but failed to capitalise on them and sit pointless after two matches.
Celtic
The Scottish League champions are simply unstoppable at the moment. They have already played eight competitive matches this season, in the Premiership, Scottish League Cup, and Champions League Qualifiers.
Seven of those have been victories and the other was a draw against Rosenborg. Only one goal has been conceded in total, with seven clean sheets kept. In the league, Celtic started their campaign with a 4-1 hammering of Hearts and followed that with a hard-fought 1-0 win away at a resolute Partick Thistle.
Sandwiched in between those was that 5-0 win at Kilmarnock in the cup, and they come into this match off the back of a superb 5-0 Champions League victory over Astana that pretty much assures them of a place in the group stage.
Their winning start to the Premiership season makes it 41 league matches unbeaten, with only one defeat in their last 54. That defeat came at St Johnstone on 11th May 2016. The last time Celtic were the losing team in any competitive match was against Barcelona in November 2016.
Head to Head
Celtic have won the last five meetings between these sides, and 13 of the last 15. Kilmarnock’s last victory over Celtic came in October 2010.
The most recent meeting was the 5-0 Celtic victory in this season’s Scottish League Cup, with the most recent league meeting ending 3-1 to Celtic in April.
Overall, Celtic have won 63 of the 85 meetings since 1994. Kilmarnock have won just six, and 16 have finished level.
Recent League Form
- Kilmarnock – LL
- Celtic – WW
Betting Odds and Predictions
Celtic are the obvious betting favourites here, and we must admit we cannot see any result other than a comfortable away win.
Ladbrokes have the champions priced at short odds of 2/11, which doesn’t provide any real value unless it’s a wager with a large stake.
Kilmarnock are a long 18/1 for the victory, with the draw at 6/1.
A better value bet for punters is Celtic to win to nil, priced at 4/5. They have kept seven clean sheets in eight matches this season, with Kilmarnock failing to score in two of their last three.
Over 2.5 Goals looks a good bet, at odds of 1/2, with Over 3.5 Goals also looking tempting priced at 5/4.
The away team to win and Over 2.5 Goals in the match is priced at 8/13.
Celtic should win this comfortably, so a punt in the handicap market may pay. They are 8/15 with a -1 handicap, and 11/8 starting at -2.
One other bet we like the look of is Stuart Armstrong to score anytime. He has netted in each of the last three meetings, and is priced at 2/1 to find the net again here.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is Celtic to win and Over 2.5 Goals, priced at 8/13 with Ladbrokes.