Celtic vs Raith Rovers Prediction: Trust a weakened Hoops to get the job done

The fifth round of the Scottish Cup continues on Saturday evening when Premiership Celtic host Championship Raith Rovers from 17:30 on Premier Sports 2. The home team are betting favourites to progress to the next round with ease, keeping alive their hopes of landing a domestic treble.

Raith Rovers enjoy a break from a competitive Championship to test themselves against the best team in the country. Will the side from the second-tier struggle at this level, or will a game at Parkhead in front of a bumper audience spark a huge upset? Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse offers his Scottish Cup preview and check out his Celtic vs Raith Rovers Predictions below...

Celtic play their second home game of the week following Wednesday evening’s thumping win over Dundee in the Premiership. Brendan Rodgers lost star striker Kyogo in the January transfer window, meaning his team is weaker than it was this time last month.

The Hoops have already won the League Cup, are miles clear in the Premiership, and have a knockout game against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League fast approaching. The locals are in great shape, even without their attacking dynamo.

Raith Rovers enjoy the distraction cup football brings following an unconvincing Championship campaign. Barry Robson’s team sit in the bottom half of the table after failing to win 14 of their previous 22 games in that competition, conceding 31 goals.

They’ve lost three of their last four league games, making Rovers difficult to trust in a huge contest. Raith could suffer a bruising night in Glasgow, but you can never know what to expect in the cup.

Celtic vs Raith Rovers Odds

With the home team in excellent form, it’s no surprise to see them kick off as solid favourites on Saturday evening. They’re the current cup holders, winning it back from Rangers last season. The Bhoys are also on an impressive winning run and beat Kilmarnock 2-1 here in the previous round.

The odds suggest it’s just a matter of how many goals Celtic can score and how comfortable the winning margin will be. You can back the home win at 1/12. That quote makes a trip into the specials necessary.

Raith Rovers travel from Kirkcaldy to Glasgow thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 away win over fellow Championship side Falkirk in the previous round. The betting traders picked the Bairns to win that game, but Rovers progressed after extra time thanks to late goals from Sam Stanton on 86 minutes and Dylan Easton in added-on time.

The winner came from the penalty spot, ending a pulsating fourth-round tie in dramatic fashion. Can they score another away win against the odds? You’ll get 16/1 for a Rovers win or 7/1 for the draw.

Celtic to win both halves

We’re picking Celtic to score a convincing win and progress to the next round, keeping alive their hopes of retaining the title at the national stadium later this season. But the match-winner odds are tight, meaning we must get creative if we’re to get any value out of Saturday’s game and give armchair fans something worth following.

Back Celtic to win both halves at odds of 5/6 and hope the defending champions start fast. The odds will work well as a single but looks ideal for your weekend accumulators.

It’s worth noting Celtic won both halves against Motherwell at Fir Park last weekend and Ross County in Dingwall last month. It was also the correct approach in recent wins over Dundee United and St Mirren at this venue.

Celtic win and both score

Despite fancying Celtic strongly on Saturday and picking them to win, I do think there’s value in the underdogs finding the net and giving the travelling fans a reason to smile.

The visitors left it late to score against Falkirk in the previous round. They also got four away to Linlithgow Rose in the third round. Raith face a huge step up in class here but will be eager to leave Celtic Park with something to show for the day.

Celtic have a Champions League playoff against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, meaning Rodgers will rest a few first-team regulars. He’ll want to wrap up the win as early as possible, allowing him to make further changes, giving youth and fringe players a chance to impress.

The hosts' conceded against Kilmarnock in the previous round and lost goals to Motherwell, Dundee, and Ross County in recent games. Back Celtic to win, but Raith Rovers to score at odds of 13/8, which makes a solid single.

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

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...