MY ACCOUNT
– Defending champions Celtic have won 14 of their 15 Scottish Premiership matches this season
– Aberdeen have netted in all 10 home matches in all competitions this term, scoring 31 goals
– Recommended bet: Celtic and both teams to score
After Glasgow rivals Rangers kick-started part two of the 2022-23 Scottish Premiership campaign with a narrow 3-2 defeat of Hibernian on Thursday night, Celtic will be looking to make a statement of intent on Saturday as they get back into action at third-placed Aberdeen.
The defending champions hold a commanding six-point lead over their rivals at the top of table and have this game in hand in which to further pull away from the Gers and cement their position at the head of proceedings.
And, despite having to return with an away trip, the Bhoys could hardly have chosen a better opponent against which to get back into action with a win.
Celtic have a commanding recent head-to-head record against a Dons side who are often better than the rest but can rarely live with the Old Firm.
Team news
Aberdeen winger Callum Roberts is still out with a hamstring injury that has kept him away from the action since August.
However, Dons manager Jim Goodwin looks set to be able to call upon Jonny Hayes, who has recovered from a groin strain that kept the former Celtic winger out for two months.
Loanee Liam Scales is ineligible against his parent club.
Celtic have Croatian right-back Josip Juranovic away on international duty and midfielder James McCarthy is out with a hamstring problem.
The stats
Despite being consistently among the best of the rest outside the Old Firm giants in the Premiership, Aberdeen have a dreadful record against Celtic. They have failed to win any of their last 18 meetings with the Bhoys and have lost each of the last four since the start of 2021-22.
That record seems unlikely to change this season given the Bhoys’ superb form in 2022-23. Celtic have a near-perfect Premiership record of 14 wins from 15 games and while they have conceded less than a goal per game Ange Postecoglou’s team have scored an average of 3.33 goals per game.
With 50 goals scored and just 13 conceded, Celtic already have a goal difference of plus 37 after just 15 games.
Aberdeen, meanwhile, have won only eight of their 15 matches, losing six, and have a goal difference of just plus six.
However, their record at Pittodrie gives the Dons reason for a degree of optimism as they have won six of seven Premiership home games this term, scoring an impressive 3.14 goals per game on average in those matches.
Prediction
Celtic look like an unstoppable juggernaut this season and, even away from home against the third-best team in the division after a long World Cup break, it is hard to argue with heavy odds-on quotes for yet another Bhoys victory this weekend.
However, Aberdeen’s impressive home record suggests that Goodwin’s men should give the defending champions a serious test, with North Macedonian forward Bojan Miovski particularly impressive in netting 11 goals in 15 appearances.
The Dons have scored in all 10 home games in all competitions this season and have netted more than once in nine of those matches, so backing over 3.5 goals at 23/20 could be of interest to Bet Builder player.
However, Postecoglou’s team look simply too good to stop, so an entertaining match that goes the way of the defending champions looks the best bet – back Celtic and both teams to score at 11/8 with LiveScore Bet.
