19 Sept 2020
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Celtic briefly returned to the summit following their 3-2 home win over Livingston, though the result was a little close for comfort and they’ve got another tricky visitor in Hibernian this weekend.
Jack Ross’ side pegged Rangers back for a 2-2 draw last time out at Easter Road, becoming the first side to put goals past Steven Gerrard’s men this season, but their form has actually been better away from home.
So far, they’ve beaten Livingston, Dundee Utd, St. Johnstone and St. Mirren this term by an aggregate 9-1, though it’s worth noting that none of those teams they visited are above sixth in the table.
Neil Lennon has bemoaned some of his team’s defensive efforts and Celtic aren’t racking up quite so many clean sheets these days.
They’ve conceded in over half their games this term and with Hibernian leading the way both for points and goals scored beyond the Old Firm duo, there’s good reason to think they can put up a good fight here and claim a goal for their efforts.
Celtic certainly appear a little more vulnerable as they go for an unprecedented 10th straight title. They may still be racking up the points, but for two weeks running now they’ve won by just the single goal.
That’s despite facing struggling outfits Livingston and St. Mirren, as they’ve lined up in a new-look 3-5-2 formation that Lennon appears set to stick with – with out of form winger Mohammed Elyounoussi looking to be the biggest loser from the switch.
Both Teams To Score
Whereas Hibs haven’t been burdened with a midweek fixture, Celtic travel to Latvia on Thursday to face Riga, so Lennon will also have to rotate to keep his squad fresh as the games come thick and fast.
That should help Hibs’ chances further, though it’s difficult to go against the Hoops on home turf. Celtic are a mightily impressive W34-D2-L1 here since 2018/19, as the sole defeat was inflicted by Rangers, while since that loss back in December they’ve been ahead at both half-time and full-time in all seven matches.
In fact, it’s been a decade since Hibs last claimed victory at Parkhead. However, they’ve only lost four of 10 league meetings with Celtic home or away over the past three seasons (W2-D4-L4).
Both teams have scored in seven of Hib’s 11 league trips to the Old Firm duo over the past three seasons, while given they play with two up top, they’ll offer a threat in the final third and especially from set pieces.
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