Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Scottish Premiership clash between Celtic and Aberdeen, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
The top two sides in the Scottish Premiership table are set to come face to face in a blockbuster showdown on Saturday when first-placed Celtic host second-placed Aberdeen at Celtic Park.
Both teams are joint at the top of the standings with 21 points after seven fixtures, with the hosts edging out the visitors thanks to a superior goal difference.
Match preview
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Celtic, in pursuit of their fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title, have made a stellar start to the 2024-25 season, boasting 11 wins and just one loss in their first 12 matches.
After winning all of their initial nine fixtures, including a historic 5-1 win against Slovan Bratislava in matchday one of the Champions League, Celtic finally suffered their first loss as they were humiliated 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund.
Brendan Rodgers, who returned for his second spell in charge in July 2023, faced significant criticism after that defeat, but the manager insisted he would not be altering his tactical approach in the matches ahead.
Rodgers’s response was quickly vindicated as Celtic rallied from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Ross County in their next match, with the manager praising the club’s tradition of fighting until the very end after they netted an 88th-minute winner.
Celtic now confront another tough challenge against fellow unbeaten side Aberdeen, but the Bhoys will likely feel confident having avoided defeat in their last 25 meetings.
In contrast to the hosts, Aberdeen have maintained their unbeaten streak across all competitions this season, winning all 13 of their matches played so far in the 2024-25 campaign.
That marks a remarkable difference to how 2023-24 played out for Aberdeen, who placed ninth in the pre-split standings and went through three different managers during the campaign – Barry Robson, Neil Warnock and Peter Leven.
Jimmy Thelin was appointed as the new permanent manager ahead of this season, and the Swede has made a fantastic start to his time in Scotland; however, he will face his first major test in upcoming matches as they face Celtic and Rangers within the next three games.
Aberdeen will need to be cautious of Celtic’s formidable attacking prowess, as the Bhoys have netted 22 league goals in just seven games, while the Dons have shown defensive weakness recently, conceding three goals in their last two matches.
Celtic Scottish Premiership form:
Celtic form (all competitions):
Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form:
Aberdeen form (all competitions):
Team News
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Celtic will continue without Cameron Carter-Vickers as the defender continues his recovery after sustaining an injury in the 5-1 victory against Slovan Bratislava, meaning Auston Trusty and Liam Scales could continue in defence.
Greg Taylor is also ruled out for a number of weeks after suffering an injury in the 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of the month.
Elsewhere, a similar team to the one that fought from behind to beat Ross County in their last outing could feature here, with Adam Idah spearheading the attack.
As for the visitors, Dante Polvara is yet to make an appearance this campaign due to a hamstring injury, and he is not expected to return until November.
Pape Habib Gueye will be sidelined until the new year due to a muscle injury, representing a significant blow for Aberdeen after he netted six goals in eight matches this season, leaving Leighton Clarkson likely to replace him.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Valle; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Maeda
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, Mackenzie; Shinnie, Nilsen; Keskinen, Clarkson, McGrath; Nisbet
We say: Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen
Both teams have enjoyed phenomenal starts to the 2024-25 season and we expect this game to be an incredibly hard-fought clash between two sides aiming to extend their unbeaten start in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic have not lost in this fixture since May 2018, and with them boasting the home advantage, we expect they will extend that streak with a narrow win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.