Wednesday will see title challengers Celtic travel to face Ross County, who sit inside the relegation zone with two points being all that separates them from safety.
While the Staggies are undefeated in their previous four matches, they will face stern opposition against the visitors, who have not lost in the league since September.
Match preview
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Ross County had a difficult start to the 2021-22 campaign, with their poor form seeing them sit in the relegation zone; however, they have been more impressive when it comes towards the winter period.
The Staggies have now gone four games without a defeat, which is their best run of the season as they have defeated Hibernian and Dundee while drawing against Dundee United and St Mirren.
Malky Mackay's men have kept clean sheets in half of those games, with their defensive qualities being needed in midweek when they compete against the Hoops, who have scored 37 times already this season.
However, Ross County also showcased their ability to find the back of the net at the weekend when they scored three times in order to secure a crucial victory against the Dark Blues.
Despite the fact that they fell behind twice Mackay's squad fought back with finishes from Dominic Samuel and Regan Charles-Cook and an own goal helping to gain the win that they will now want to follow up on.
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The Staggies will have to work hard in order to get considering the fact Celtic have not lost in the league since September as they push Rangers in the title race.
The Hoops are currently four points behind their Old Firm rivals and they will be keen not to slip up because of that, especially against a team in the relegation zone.
Ange Postecoglou's men were able to defeat Motherwell at the weekend with Tom Rogic scoring the only goal of the game at the end of the first half.
This marked their third match in a row keeping a clean sheet as well, with Joe Hart's experience proving vital for the Hoops, while their attacking qualities have also been clear to see.
That was on full display the last time they faced the Staggies as Celtic won the match 3-0 with Cameron Carter-Vickers getting on the scoresheet as well a brace from Albian Ateji.
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Team News
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Blair Spittal made a big impact off the bench at the weekend and was praised by his manager, which could lead to him being brought into the starting lineup on Wednesday.
Meanwhile Ashley Maynard-Brewer will be aiming to continue his impressive performances in goal, with the Staggies having showcased their strength at the back as of late.
Kyogo Furuhashi dealt with a hamstring problem when Celtic faced Real Betis and that is something that will likely keep him out of the team moving forwards.
Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Ajeti are all also sidelined at the moment for the Hoops, adding to the injury crisis that the team is dealing with.
Sunday's victory against Motherwell also added James Forrest to that growing list as he suffered a muscular issue that will rule him out against Ross County.
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Maynard-Brewer; Clarke, Watson, Baldwin, Randall; Paton, Spittal; Charles-Cook, Callachan, Hungbo; Samuel
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor, Rogic, Bitton, McGregor; Abada, Henderson; Turnbull
We say: Ross County 1-2 Celtic
These two teams are at opposite ends of the table, but both of them are in strong form at the moment, which should lead to a close contest, with Ross County having a lot to fight for.
However, the Hoops are thriving as of late and their attacking qualities should see them have enough to see them through with another three points here.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Celtic win with a probability of 69.74%. A draw had a probability of 18.2% and a win for Ross County had a probability of 12.09%.
The most likely scoreline for a Celtic win was 0-2 with a probability of 11.92%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (10.68%) and 1-2 (9.63%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.63%), while for a Ross County win it was 1-0 (3.86%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 1-2 win for Celtic in this match and our data analysis correctly predicted the win for Celtic.
