Kilmarnock vs Celtic: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Celtic travel to Kilmarnock knowing that a point will be enough to secure yet another Scottish Premier League title.

Date: 15/05/24

Kick-off time: 19:30

Venue: Rugby Park

After their 2-1 win against Rangers last weekend, Celtic come into this game with one hand firmly on the trophy. They sit top, six clear of their Old Firm rivals, with just two games remaining. They may be named champions before they even kick a ball should Rangers drop points in their fixture the night before. If they were to confirm their victory, it would make it a third league title in a row, and 11th in the last 12 seasons.

Kilmarnock are fourth, but have nothing to play for with their position locked. They are 11 points behind Hearts in third and nine ahead of St Mirren. However, they will want to end with as many points as possible and will be motivated to spoil the potential celebrations.

Goals could be prominent in this game, especially from the visitors, as they have found the back of the net at least twice in each of their last nine games in all competitions. The hosts have been solid at the back in recent weeks, conceding more than twice on just one occasion in their last seven. Although, this came in a 4-1 loss at Rangers, so Celtic will look to repeat this. Matt O’Riley has enjoyed an excellent season, topping the charts for his side with 15. Kyogo Furuhashi has also been an important contributor with 13 goals. Kilmarnock will look to the likes of Marley Watkins and Kyle Vassell, who have combined for 17 goals.

Since 2022, these two sides have met six times in the SPL. Four of these have been Celtic wins, but they are currently winless in the last two. The first game this season was a 3-1 for the Hoops, but Kilmarnock responded in the next game with a 2-1 victory of their own, though they had to come from behind late on. The latest fixture was a 1-1 draw in February. Furuhashi put Celtic ahead in the first half, before David Watson equalised in the 92nd minute.

Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock have a couple of injury concerns. Kyle Magennis is dealing with a hamstring injury though he may be nearing a return. James Balagizi is a doubt with a knee issue.

Celtic

Celtic were given a huge boost with the recent return of Daizen Maeda, who was initially feared to miss the rest of the season. Adam Montgomery is their only absentee.

Kilmarnock

In their last five games, Kilmarnock have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a good stretch for Kilmarnock as the season draws to a close. Their most recent game was a trip to St Mirren, in which they won 1-0. Kyle Vassell scored the decisive goal in the 37th minute.

This followed a heavy 4-1 defeat to Rangers. They actually took the lead through a James Tavernier own goal, but were reduced to 10 men shortly after as Joe Wright saw red. Tavernier was unable to redeem himself as he missed the resulting penalty, but the hosts were able to use their man advantage to take all three points. Fabio Silva equalised very deep into first half stoppage time, before Ben Davies, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar all got themselves on the scoresheet. An away game at Hearts preceded this, and it resulted in a 0-0 draw. Both sides attempted a combined 30 shots, but only six of these were on target. There was not much to split them in possession, though Hearts edged it. However, neither side were able to make a breakthrough.

It meant they were unable to string three consecutive wins together following a 2-0 and 1-0 victories away at St Johnstone and at home to Ross County. On the road, Wright opened the scoring, before Marley Watkins doubled the lead late on. Vassell’s 64th minute goal proved to be the slender difference between themselves and Ross County.

Celtic

In their last five games, Celtic have won four and drawn one. It has been a dominant stretch for Celtic, as they strengthened their grip at the top of the table, and booked their place in a cup final. This run started with a comfortable 3-0 win over St Mirren at home. It was all Celtic throughout, indicated by their 73% possession and 18 shot attempts. The visitors only managed two, with none on target. It was goalless at half-time, but Reo Hatate broke the deadlock shortly after the restart. The lead was doubled eight minutes later by Kyogo Furuhashi, before Adam Idah added a third insurance goal late on.

Attention shifted to Scottish Cup action, as they took on Aberdeen in the semi-final. The game ended 3-3 after 90 minutes and extra-time. Bojan Miovski opened the scoring for Aberdeen, but Celtic turned it around with goals from Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and James Forrest. The game was level once more as Ester Sokler scored in the 90th minute. The pair exchanged further goals in extra-time to send it to penalties, where Celtic prevailed 6-5. A return to the league saw them beat Dundee 2-1, with a Forrest brace securing three points. Hearts were the next visitors to Celtic Park, and they were beaten 3-0. Furuhashi scored a first-half brace, and Matt O-Riley added a third late on from the spot.

Their most recent game was at home to arch rivals Rangers in the Old Firm. The match ended 2-1 in Celtic’s favour. They scored two goals in three minutes with a strike from Matt O’Riley and an own goal by John Lundstram. Cyriel Dessers quickly pulled one back, but Lundstram saw red just before the break. This is how the game ended.

Celtic have been enjoying some excellent form, and we expect this to continue on the road at Kilmarnock. The hosts may get on the scoresheet, but the quality of their opponents should be too much for them to overcome – Kilmarnock 1-3 Celtic

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Kilmarnock vs Celtic will be available to watch on Sky Sports Football.

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