Tag Archives: Celtic

Celtic aim to go out on high

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Celtic take on Motherwell in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden on Saturday afternoon looking to end the season on a high after losing out on the SPL title. Can they do it or will it be the year for the underdogs to prevail? (Celtic 4/11 to win in 90 minutes).

The Bhoys have endured a difficult season both on and off the pitch, with defeat to Rangers in the the Co-operative Insurance Cup final and losing out to their Old Firm rivals by one point in the race for the league title.

There have also been death threats to manager Neil Lennon to contend with, as bullets and parcel bombs were intercepted while en route to the Northern Irishman.

Add in the four-match touchline ban that the boss received for his altercation with Rangers assistant Ally McCoist and it is clear that the Glasgow giants could do with an end-of-season boost to go into the off-season in good spirits.

They are strong favourites to lift the trophy on Saturday afternoon and are a short price to beat Stuart McCall’s men either in 90 minutes, in extra time or by penalties (Celtic 1/4 to win Scottish Cup).

If recent form is anything to go on then Celtic have every reason to be full of confidence, having beaten Well 4-0 in the final match of the season last weekend, but form tends to go out of the window in cup finals and the Steelmen are not without hope.

They did pull off a 2-0 victory over Lennon’s side at Fir Park back in February, with a John Sutton brace good enough to take the points, and the goal-scorer on that occasion has already pointed to the importance of getting an early goal against the Hoops.

The Celts possess better footballers and will doubtless try to dictate the game if they take the lead and so the first goal will be crucial in determining the destination of the trophy.

Well only drew seven SPL games all season and appear and ‘all or nothing’ side, capable of upsetting the best or being blown away, with a 3-3 draw against Hearts prior to a 5-0 defeat to Rangers and a 4-0 reverse to Dundee United towards the end of the campaign emphasising the point.

McCall has no injury worries ahead of the final and Darren Randolph is expected to return in goal having missed the league game at Parkhead, with Steve Jennings and Maurice Ross also in contention to feature.

Lennon will be without winger Shaun Maloney, who has a calf strain, but Kris Commons is back after serving a suspension and Anthony Stokes will be considered having been dropped for the final league match for disciplinary reasons.

In truth, Celtic should beat Motherwell comfortably but it has been an odd season for the Glasgow outfit and they could be in for a tough encounter against a Motherwell side who have nothing to lose and who are all “fully focused” on the job, according to McCall.

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Celtic set for toughest test

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Celtic head to the capital on Wednesday to face Hearts in what is set to be the toughest test of their final three remaining games of the SPL season (totesport match prices – Hearts 9/2, draw 10/3, Celtic 1/2).

The title race is out of Celtic’s hands after their defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle last week but a 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday has kept the Hoops in the running for the domestic crown.

Manager Neil Lennon and his players will still be hoping their arch rivals Rangers slip up before the end of the season.

However, they will have to concentrate on their own games and a trip to Tynecastle is arguably the second hardest ground in the SPL calendar.

The atmosphere at the Edinburgh ground will be fiery and Hearts would be happy to spoil Celtic’s chances of winning the title this season.

Hearts have only lost one of the last four games between these two sides at Tynecastle, winning two of them.

However, the Maroons are in a poor run of form – and were thrashed 4-0 by Rangers at Ibrox in their last outing on Saturday.

Before the thumping by the Glasgow giants, Hearts could not buy a win and had drawn their five previous games in the league.

The club remain third in the SPL table but manager Jim Jefferies will be disappointed that his team’s season has faded away towards the end.

Despite their decent record against Celtic at Tynecastle, Hearts current form suggests they will be up against it on Wednesday.

As for Celtic they bounced back from their disappointing defeat against Caley with the win over Killie.

Attacking midfielder Kris Commons was once again on the scoresheet and he has been arguably the club’s best signing this season since his move from Derby County in the January transfer window.

He will need to be on top form again when Celtic travel to the capital.

The Bhoys have two games home and away against Motherwell after their clash with Hearts and at this stage of the campaign every game is a must win.

Wednesday will be a tight and edgy affair and Hearts have had a gift of getting draws in recent weeks so they may well bag another, which could gift the SPL title to the blue side of Glasgow.

Inverness are still riding on the wave of that victory over Celtic and picked another victory on the weekend with a win over St Mirren.

Caley host Hibernian on Wednesday and manager Terry Butcher will looking for his side to finish on a high (totesport match prices – ICT 11/10, draw 23/10, Hibernian 23/10).

As for Hibs, they have failed to pick up a win in their last four games and have a terrible record at the Caledonian Stadium.

Not only have the Edinburgh club lost on their last four trips to Inverness but they have failed to score on the last three occasions.

With this in mind, Caley should come out on top in this one as they continue to enjoy a decent season.

Motherwell face Kilmarnock in Wednesday’s other fixture in their last game before they take on Celtic in back-to-back games (totesport match prices – Motherwell 23/20, draw 12/5, Kilmarnock 21/10).

This clash at Fir Park is between two evenly-matched teams with only three points separating the sides in the SPL table.

‘Well have conceded 12 goals in their last three games which should give Killie the edge as they look to consolidate fifth place in the league.

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Celtic wary of Caley threat

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Bet on the SPLSaturday’s SPL match predictions…..
All the news building up to this weekend’s Scottish Premier League games has covered who would officiate the matches given the referees’ strike, but it seems like the Scottish Football Association has managed to save the full card of top-flights games.

If everything does go ahead, there are five matches in the SPL on Saturday and Celtic can go top of the league if they beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Celtic Park. Terry Butcher’s side are the surprise package of the SPL so far this season and go into this daunting trip having won their last three games.

Celtic fell three points behind Rangers after they conceded an injury-time equaliser last weekend against Dundee United, and Neil Lennon cannot underestimate the challenge posed by an Inverness side, who have somehow not lost on their travels in almost a year.

With the knowledge they can put the pressure on their rivals and bounce back from last weekend’s disappointment, Celtic are priced at 2/9 to win and look likely to end Caley’s impressive away record.

It is a case of two teams looking to kick-start their season as rock-bottom Hamilton welcome another struggling side in St Mirren to New Douglas Park.

Their home ground has not been a happy place for Hamilton this season, they have not won in six in front of their home fans, but will be buoyed by the fact St Mirren have only tasted success once on the road and have conceded 15 goals in six games.

The distinct lack of form shown by both teams going into this game suggests it is likely to be a cagey affair, but St Mirren just have the edge and have improved enough in recent weeks to get the win – which is priced at 23/10.

Hibs and St Johnstone are only separated by goal difference in the SPL table and a win for either side could create some valuable breathing space between them and the wrong end of the league. Colin Calderwood has recovered from a poor start to guide Hibs to some impressive wins, but that came to an end when they were beaten 4-2 by Inverness last weekend.

St Johnstone’s win over beleaguered Aberdeen ended a run of four losses in a row, but they are struggling for away form and Hibs (20/21 to win the game) will be too strong for them, even without the suspended duo of Derek Riordan and Paul Hanlon.

Kilmarnock were only narrowly defeated by Rangers last weekend and put on an impressive showing, and they welcome an Aberdeen side that have lost their last five matches. Killie’s loss to the leaders was their first defeat in five games and the form gives the advantage squarely to the home side, so Kilmarnock – 3/4 to win the Rugby Park clash – look like piling more misery of Mark McGhee.

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Celtic ready for Old Firm clash

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Bet on the SPLCeltic (4/5 to win the SPL) boss Neil Lennon believes his team are in ‘prime condition’ to take on their city rivals Rangers on Sunday.

The Glasgow giants meet at Parkhead in the biggest game of the SPL season so far as both sides have won all of their first eight matches of the campaign.

Rangers are the current leaders in the league thanks to having a better goal difference than the Hoops as both sides have set up what looks to be another two-horse-race for the SPL title.

However, Lennon has insisted that his side has what it takes to beat Gers in the first Old Firm clash of the season.

He said: “They are playing some good stuff and they were excellent in the 2-1 win against Dundee United  last week.

“I couldn’t have asked any more from them in terms of a team performance and an attacking performance.

“So the tails are up, there is a wee bit of excitement about this game and the players are looking forward to it,” he added.

The Old Firm games always deliver exciting football but the fixtures between the two Scottish giants could take on added importance with both sides winning all their league games so far.

Rangers (10/11 to win the SPL) boss Walter Smith is taking part in his last season in management and the 62-year-old has admitted that he won’t miss the Old Firm games.

He said: “I must admit it’s a kind of nervy day.

“I think the way both teams have started the season, both seem to be playing confidently and will be looking forward to Sunday’s game.

“Both teams have every right to be confident. Maybe because of the fact we’ve both won eight games, this year’s four Old Firm games will take on an added importance,” he added.

Rangers will be looking to continue their battling form which has seen them come from behind in their last three SPL fixtures.

Gers also managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Valencia in midweek in the Champions League which keeps the Glasgow side in the hunt for a final 16 spot in the tournament.

Smith’s side will be looking to spoil their rivals’ winning record on Sunday as they hope to continue their good run of results domestically and in Europe.

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Lawrence ends Celtic talk

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Stoke winger Liam Lawrence has confirmed he will stay loyal to the Potters despite admitting he wanted to move to Celtic to be part of the Neil Lennon revolution at Parkhead (Stoke 1/9  To Stay Up).

The Republic of Ireland international, 28, has been at the Britannia Stadium since 2006 after initially arriving on loan from Sunderland, but he was extremely tempted to move on this summer to try his luck in the SPL.

Lawrence’s admission came after Lennon, who was handed the manager’s job at the Bhoys permanently during the close season, declared his interest in taking the five-cap attacker north of the border.

However, Celtic’s spending plans appear to hinge on the sale of £10m-rated Aiden McGeady which left Lawrence in limbo as far as a switch to Parkhead is concerned.

But with just days to go before the start of the new Premier League – Stoke travel to Wolves on Saturday – Lawrence has decided to stick with the Potters and rule out a move away from the club for the time being (Wolves v Stoke 12/1 – Opening Day Fixtures – Game With Most Goals).

He told the Scottish Sun: “The idea of a move to Celtic was really appealing at the end of last season.

“It has gone on for so long now and they have bought a lot of players. Clearly, they’ve had plenty of opportunity to come and get me but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened.

“Stoke have been brilliant with me, stating they were prepared to give me the chance of a move if the conditions were right.

“I really wanted the opportunity to play for Celtic. If they had come in for me I would’ve been happy to go.”

Lawrence added: “With things dragging on it has given me time to reconsider everything.

“I have had a brilliant pre-season with Stoke, I’ve really enjoyed it, and now I feel I’ve got to be fair with them. I feel the best thing for me now is to stay and try to play in the Premier League.”

Stoke defied the odds to finish 11th last season and boss Tony Pulis is looking for them to kick on again this term.

The Welshman has already made room in his squad by parting company with the likes of Amdy Faye, Andy Griffin and Steve Simonsen, although so far he has only brought in Belgium youth international Florent Cuvelier from Portsmouth on a two-year contract.

Pulis’ number one aim is to land a big targetman and he has been linked with West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Sunderland hitman Kenwyne Jones.

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