Hibernian will host Celtic at the Easter Road Stadium on Sunday in the Scottish Premiership, seeking their first points of the season after an opening-day defeat, while the reigning champions aim to maintain their winning momentum.
The hosts suffered a 3-0 defeat to St Mirren in their first fixture, while the visitors enjoyed a 4-0 victory against Kilmarnock in their opening game.
Match preview
![Hibernian Manager David Gray during the Premier Sports Cup Group C match at Easter Road, Edinburgh UK against Peterhead on July 27, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/david-gray.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Hibernian Manager David Gray during the Premier Sports Cup Group C match at Easter Road, Edinburgh UK against Peterhead on July 27, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]")
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After finishing third in 2020-21, Hibernian will be extremely disappointed with their inconsistency in the following three campaigns, placing eighth, fifth and eighth.
Their form has seen an upturn since the closing stages of last season, winning seven of their last 11 matches across friendly and competitive competitions.
David Gray would have been hopeful of producing a testing performance against a St Mirren side that secured their place in European qualification this term, but Hibernian instead suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat.
However, Gray can take some positives from the match, as his side dominated possession and took more shots than St Mirren, 15 to nine, but he now needs his team to be more clinical in front of goal.
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Celtic, in stark contrast, continued their phenomenal run of form from last year and pre-season into their opening match of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership, humiliating Kilmarnock with a 4-0 win.
That victory leaves them on a run of 18 matches without defeat in all competitions, while they have only lost two of their last 33 games, losing 2-0 to Hearts on both occasions.
Brendan Rodgers will be delighted with that start to the season as he aims to guide the side to a fourth successive league title and their 13th in the last 14 seasons.
Celtic have historically enjoyed this fixture, losing just one of the last 22 meetings, a 4-2 defeat at Easter Road Stadium in 2023, and winning 14 in that time.
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Team News
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Hibernian will be without Thody Elie Youan for this game with the forward still recovering from a leg injury that he sustained in July, but otherwise, Gray will have a full squad to choose from.
Goalkeeper Josef Bursik and centre-back duo Marvin Ekpiteta and Warren O'Hora were all handed debuts in Hibernian's last outing, and all three are likely to play from the start again here.
Celtic are unable to call upon the services of Daizen Maeda with the striker continuing his spell on the sidelines with a bruised knee, leaving a front three of James Forrest, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn likely to play again.
Last season's star performer Matt O'Riley, who contributed 31 goals in the league alone, has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer, but the midfielder excelled in the opening game of the campaign and is likely to play again here.
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita; Moriah-Welsh, Newell; Boyle, Campbell, Molotnikov; Vente
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O'Riley, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Forrest
We say: Hibernian 0-3 Celtic
Celtic are on a phenomenal run of results that stretches across from last campaign, and we expect them to be too strong for the hosts here with a comfortable 3-0 win.
Despite having plenty of opportunities in their opening match, Hibernian were unable to hit the target, and they are unlikely to have as many chances in this one, leading us to believe the visitors will secure a clean sheet.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
