Aberdeen vs Celtic: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

The Scottish Premiership takes a back-seat as Aberdeen take on Celtic in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup at Hampden Park.

Date: 20/04/24

Kick-off time: 12:30

Venue: Hampden Park

Celtic are looking to advance to the final of the Scottish Cup in a bid to win the trophy for the 42nd time in their history, which is a record they already hold. They are also in an intense battle for the SPL title with Old Firm rivals Rangers, as they hope to win a league and cup double. Having won last season, they are competing to retain their title. They beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-1 in the final.

In contrast, Aberdeen are going to try and win the trophy for the eighth time. They have finished as runners-up on seven occasions. The last time they were victorious in the competition was in 1990, in which they beat Celtic 9-8 on penalties.

Goals may be hard to come by in this game, especially for the hosts. In their last five games, they have scored just three goals, which includes a pair of 0-0 draws and a 1-0 defeat. However, Celtic have been extremely potent in front of goal in recent weeks, finding the back of the net at least three times in each of their last five games. They have also only lost once since mid-December. If Aberdeen are to threaten, they will look to Bojan Miovski, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season. The Hoops will lean on the attacking threat of Matt O’Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi who have scored 13 goals apiece. January loan signing Adam Idah has netted seven times in 10 appearances.

The two sides have met twice this season in the league, with Celtic winning one and the most recent ending in a 1-1 draw. Celtic won the game emphatically, hitting their opponents for six. They took an early 2-0 lead, with the remaining goals coming late on, including three in second half stoppage time.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen have a relatively fit squad to choose from, with defender Slobodan Rubezic out with a knee injury. He is hopeful of returning later this month.

Celtic

Daizen Maeda has been ruled out with a hamstring injury which is a huge blow not only for this game but also for the remainder of the season. Liam Scales could also be absent for one or two weeks.

Aberdeen

In their last five games, Aberdeen have won two, drawn two and lost one. Their most recent fixture was a home game against Dundee, in which they were held to a goalless draw. There was not much to split the two sides at all in terms of shot attempts and possession, as neither team could find a breakthrough. Aberdeen were reduced to ten men deep into second half stoppage time as Graeme Shinnie saw red, but it was too late for it to have any impact on the final result. This was the second 0-0 result in a row, as they were held by Livingston in their previous game. They restricted their hosts to just one shot on target, but could not take advantage of any of their own opportunities.

Ross County were on the end of a 2-1 defeat, as Aberdeen got off to a good start with an opener five minutes in through Bojan Miovski. However, this was cancelled out by Simon Murray around 20 minutes later. Again it was another even game, but this time they were able to break the tie and secure three points with Jamie McGrath scoring the winner with 20 to go. This made it two wins in a row following a narrow 1-0 win at Motherwell, who they are in close proximity with in the league table. The winning strike came after 25 minutes, with Leighton Clarkson finding the back of the net.

It was a good response to the game before this, in which they were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline at Dundee. They ended up falling to a second half penalty, which was converted by Luke McCowan.

Celtic

In their last five games, Celtic have won four and drawn one. The league leaders have enjoyed a dominant stretch in which their only dropped points came in the Old Firm against their rivals Rangers. It was an incredibly thrilling game which ended 3-3. They had got off to the perfect start as Daizen Maeda deflected the ball into the net one minute in, as James Tavernier tried to clear it. They doubled their lead from the spot as Matt O’Riley converted the penalty. Despite their two-goal half-time advantage, the hosts pegged them back at 2-2, first with a Tavernier penalty and then an 86th minute equaliser from Abdallah Sima. Celtic thought they had won it when Adam Idah struck with three minutes to go, but Rabbi Matondo had other ideas as he levelled the score once more in stoppage time with a sublime finish.

This followed a comfortable 3-0 win at Livingston, with second half goals from Paulo Bernardo and O’Riley adding to an opening own goal by Jamie Brandon. Similarly, they enjoyed a simple 3-1 victory at home to St Johnstone the week before, with Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and James Forrest giving them a three-goal lead. Connor Smith pulled one back late on, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.

Attention had been turned to the Scottish Cup, as Celtic booked their place in the semi-finals with a 4-2 win over Livingston. The game was level late on at 2-2, but an 86th minute goal from Maeda, which completed a hat-trick, and then a stoppage time strike from Furuhashi, took the game away. Their most recent game was a 3-0 result at home to St Mirren. They had full control of the match throughout, with all goals coming in the second half through Reo Hatate, Furuhashi and Idah.

In a cup game, anything could happen, especially with a place in the final at stake. However, Celtic are in excellent form and it will be hard to get the better of them, therefore we expect them to come away with victory – Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic

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Aberdeen vs Celtic will be available to watch on BBC One Scotland and BBC iPlayer. It can also be followed on the BBC Sport Website.

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