Celtic vs Kilmarnock Prediction: Trust the Hosts on Flag Day at Parkhead

Sunday brings another three games from the Scottish Premiership, including Celtic vs Kilmarnock at Parkhead, which is live on Sky Sports with a 16:30 kick-off time.

Will the home team celebrate Flag Day by making a winning start to their defence? Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse takes us through his Celtic vs Kilmarnock Predictions...

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over at betfred.com

The new Scottish Premiership season is here, and last term’s champions, Celtic, will unfurl the flag at a capacity Parkhead on Sunday from 4:30pm, with Kilmarnock providing the opposition. The Bhoys take confidence from an inspiring pre-season, which included eye-catching wins over big-name opponents from south of the border. Will the Hoops deliver when it matters?

Kilmarnock showed they’re no pushovers when finishing fourth in the Premiership last season under experienced manager Derek McInnes. The former Rangers midfielder and Aberdeen boss enjoyed some memorable wins over Sunday’s opponents, but will he oversee a show in Glasgow to stun the home support? Read our big match preview and make your predictions at Betfred.

Celtic vs Kilmarnock Odds

Despite a competitive encounter expected at Celtic Park, Betfred traders can’t see past a home win, picking Brendan Rodgers’ Bhoys to pick up where they left off. The locals are red-hot 1/6 favourites in pre-match betting, and that comes as no surprise to Scottish football fans. But anything can happen in the early stages of a new campaign, and the Killie faithful have reason to be optimistic.

The head-to-head stats associated with this game show the Bhoys and Killie met five times last season in Premiership and League Cup action. Celtic banked two wins, with Kilmarnock also finishing on two, and the spare ended in a draw. The team from Rugby Park held their own against the champions and secured a 1-0 win last August thanks to a goal from Marley Watkins on the hour mark. Consider Kilmarnock at a whopping 16/1, or try the draw at 13/2.

Over 3.5 goals @ 5/6

We start with our best bet from Celtic Park when tipping the game to produce more than three goals. With a capacity crowd in attendance, the Premiership trophy making an appearance, several new players eager to impress the crowd, and Kilmarnock coming to win, we’re predicting a thrilling 90 minutes of action from Glasgow with plenty of goals and even more talking points.

Taking over 3.5 goals would’ve earned you a profit in half of the last six renewals of this fixture, including a memorable 5-0 win for Rodgers’ men at Rugby Park in May. That approach would’ve also proven fruitful in Celtic’s recent friendly wins over Chelsea, Man City and DC United. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for another goal-fest.

Both score and Celtic win @ 6/4

Moving onto our second bet and the pick with better odds attached, we’re sticking with a high-scoring game, taking both teams to score and Celtic to win. Again, we lean on the head-to-head stats and the form of both teams in recent warm-up games. At 6/4, this pick is good enough to back as a single or in your weekend multiples.

Taking both teams to score and Celtic to win would’ve proven a shrewd approach when the Hoops beat Killie 3-1 here last October, with goals scored by Reo Hatate, Luis Palma, and Greg Taylor. It’s also worth noting that Kilmarnock were on the scoresheet when drawing with Cercle Brugge in a Europa League qualifier late last month, meaning they should be slightly sharper than their hosts.

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...