Celtic vs Falkirk Prediction: O’Neill to steady the ship with a home win on Wednesday

Followers of Scottish football enjoy a midweek treat with five matches played in the Premiership on Wednesday evening. Celtic, still reeling from Brendan Rodgers’ exit, prepare to face Falkirk from 19:45 BST after back-to-back defeats. It’s a must-win at Parkhead. Celtic TV will be the place to catch this one.

Former boss Martin O’Neill replaces Rodgers on a short-term contract, and the experienced boss is tasked with steadying the ship. Will Celtic make a timely return to winning ways? Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse previews a fascinating match played under the bright lights as we check out his Celtic vs Falkirk Predictions...

*You can check out all of the Football Odds and betting markets we offer over at betfred.com

Match Preview:

Celtic enjoy home advantage on matchday ten from a thrilling Scottish Premiership season. The defending champions start eight points behind current leaders Hearts following back-to-back defeats.

The Hoops suffered a shock loss to Dundee in the City of Discovery before the Jambos took them out at Tynecastle. A 3-1 home win proved Derek McInnes and his men are up for the fight. The pressure is on Celtic to show more heart in the title fight.

Falkirk slip into Parkhead almost unnoticed, with the attention firmly on their hosts. The Bairns appreciate Celtic are a wounded animal, but also know they have a fantastic opportunity to score a rare win in the east end of Glasgow.

The visitors arrive sixth in the table, but are unbeaten in three and have won their previous two. Three Premiership wins on the bounce would send shockwaves through Scottish football.

Match Odds:

Despite no win in two and dropping 10 of the last 18 Premiership points available, Celtic are red-hot betting favourites to win on Wednesday. Do the oddsmakers expect O’Neill to get a tune out of a threadbare squad Rodgers suggested wasn’t strong enough?

Things could get worse before they get any better at the home of the champions, but you can back them to take their frustrations out on the Bairns at the 1/6 available on a Celtic win.

Falkirk moved into the top six following a three-match unbeaten run. John McGlynn started the month by holding Rangers to a 1-1 draw, a result that proved the final embarrassment in Russell Martin’s painfully short stint.

The Bairns - who won the Championship last season - then beat a decent Motherwell side 2-1 at Fir Park, before edging Dundee by the same scoreline. An away win for a confident Falkirk is huge at 16/1 with Betfred. The draw is 7/1.

You can bet on this match via our Celtic vs Falkirk Odds page on the main betfred.com website, with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Both Teams to Score

Our first bet on Wednesday in Glasgow is good enough to back as a single, but it will also do a great job in your midweek accumulators.

Both teams to score trades at even money, and that would’ve been a winner in Celtic’s Europa League win over Sturm Graz and that painful 3-1 loss in the capital just three days ago. It was also the smart approach in Falkirk’s three games played this month, including the two-goal draw with Rangers.

Switching to the head-to-head stats, we note both teams scored when Falkirk were last in town. That was also the case in each of the previous two meetings, with a combined 12 goals scored.

Armchair fans, neutrals, and followers of our predictions hope for more of the same, and I think they’ll get it. Celtic have conceded 10 goals in 5 games this month, including five at home. There’s no quick fix to their problems at the back.

Celtic win & Both Teams to Score

Our second bet comes at higher odds, and we’re backing Celtic to win and for both teams to score. Again, the head-to-head stats suggest we’re looking in the right place. Celtic and BTTS landed in the previous two meetings.

The locals won 5-2 here last summer in the League Cup and eased to a 4-1 win in the same competition this August. I expect a more competitive match, but with a similar outcome.

It’ll be a night of high emotions at Parkhead. The fans aren’t happy with the board, and I suspect they’ll make their feelings clear again. They want heads to roll at the club following a dismal summer and a frustrating start to the campaign.

The exit of Rodgers is unlikely to be the last before the end of the year. It’s a time for calm heads on the field of play, and their experienced interim manager can help achieve that. I’m predicting a rollercoaster 90 minutes, but fancy Celtic to get the job done at home.

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Frank Monkhouse Scottish Football P/L

25/26 Season:

• Points Placed: 67
• Points Returned: 48.46
• P/L: -18.54

24/25 Season:

• Points Placed: 257
• Points Returned: 252.25
• P/L: -4.75

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...