Celtic vs Aberdeen Prediction: Bet another battling home win

The second half of a Sunday double-header from the Premiership pairs the champions, Celtic, with an ambitious Aberdeen. Betfred’s Scottish football expert, Frank Monkhouse, previews the 14:30 game and offers his predictions.

The big games keep coming in the Scottish Premiership, and the second from the Sunday schedule promises to be every bit as exciting as the first. Livingston host Rangers from midday before Celtic welcomes Aberdeen to Glasgow for a 2:00 pm kick-off.

The hosts sit on top of the league after a dozen games and already hold a comfortable points advantage over their Old Firm rivals. But Brendan Rodgers’ side suffered a heavy defeat in Madrid on Tuesday, conceding six goals as their Champions League misery continues. Will the bruises from a 6-0 loss to Atletico impact their preparations for this game, or will the only unbeaten team in the league secure another three points?

Team News

It was another miserable night in Europe for the Scottish Premiership holders as a merciless Atletico Madrid demolished them on Tuesday. Despite holding the same opponent to a 2-2 draw in Glasgow two weeks previous, the Hoops were never a threat at the Metropolitano Stadium. Antoine Griezmann scored a double on a sorry night for Celtic as they sunk to the bottom of Champions League Group E.

Things have been much better for Celtic in the Premiership, building a record of ten wins against two draws, scoring 28 goals and conceding just seven. They’ve won each of their last two league starts and are favourites to make it a hat trick on Sunday against the Dons.

Aberdeen is lower in the pecking order than usual and entered the weekend outside of the European places in seventh. The team from the Granite City has won just three of ten league games, drawing three and losing the other four. Failure to get anything from their latest trip to Glasgow would heap pressure on the misfiring visitors.

They arrive at Parkhead straight from Thursday evening’s match away to PAOK Salonika in the Europa Conference League. A rare appearance in the group stages of European football may be beginning to take its toll on Barry Robson’s limited squad, and that could hand the advantage to their opponents.

Match Odds

Two teams involved in European action in midweek means there could be a few tired legs in the camps. Celtic enjoy home advantage and had two extra days to recover from their trip, playing Madrid on Tuesday while Aberdeen went to Salonika on Thursday. We expect that to make all the difference, and the Betfred trading team agrees

There are no real surprises in the pre-match betting odds available to all Betfred customers on Celtic v Aberdeen. The home win trades at 2/11, and that’s slightly better than expected, given Celtic’s demoralising loss in Madrid. Aberdeen is a chunky 10/1 for an away win, or you can back the draw at an eye-catching 5/1.

Both Teams to Score - 10/11

We expect goals in Sunday’s encounter from Glasgow, as both managers know the importance of taking all three points. Rodgers’ men are under increasing pressure from supporters following that dreadful showing in Madrid and the ongoing standoff involving the board and supporters group the Green Brigade, who continue to be locked out of Celtic Park. How much will their absence affect the players?

Celtic won 3-1 at Pittodrie back in August, and we expect something similar here, with both teams on the scoresheet. Betting on both teams to score would’ve landed you a return in Celtic’s last home game when they beat St Mirren 2-1. The same bet would’ve also banked you a profit on the Dons’ last away trip when beating Motherwell 4-2.

Celtic win and BTTS - 8/5

Holding that thought, we shoot for a related selection at higher odds, backing both teams to score in a home win at a useful 8/5, available on the Betfred website and app. We saw the Bhoys out-played on Tuesday, but they’ve been battling hard for points domestically, snatching late goals to win crucial games. 

Celtic fell behind to an early goal at home to St Mirren but turned things around with strikes from David Turnbull and a decider from Oh Hyeon-gyu on 83 minutes. They needed a similar late show to defeat Motherwell earlier in the campaign, Matt O’Riley netting a winner with 97 minutes on the clock.

Confidence is high in the away dressing room following back-to-back wins in domestic competitions, alleviating some of the pressure on the squad. They booked an appearance in the League Cup final against Rangers in December with a battling 1-0 win at Hampden last weekend following that impressive 4-2 at Fir Park. 

They must improve defensively if they are to worry their hosts, but the Dons are always dangerous on the break. They’ll get chances against a nervy backline that has leaked 13 goals in their last eight games in all competitions.