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Celtic logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 5
Sep 11, 2021 at 3pm UK
Celtic Park
Ross County

Celtic
3 - 0
Ross County

Carter-Vickers (64'), Ajeti (70', 85')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Paton (61')

Preview: Celtic vs. Ross County - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between Celtic and Ross County, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Celtic will look to continue their undefeated start to the season at home on Saturday when they host Ross County at Celtic Park in Scottish Premiership action.

Meanwhile, the visitors shall be attempting to earn their first victory of the season as they aim to push away from the relegation zone.


Match preview

Celtic coach Ange Postecoglou pictured on August 12, 2021© Reuters

Celtic have had a mixed start to the season; from failing to qualify for the Champions League to earning the right to play in the Europa League, or the inconsistent performances in the Scottish Premiership, there is plenty to improve upon during this period.

However, despite the fact that they have only won half of their league games so far, Ange Postecoglou has made Celtic Park a fortress, as they are undefeated in their home stadium.

That is a record they shall be looking to continue this Saturday as they welcome Ross County, with the Bhoys attempting to respond to consecutive defeats.

Celtic were beaten in the Old Firm derby during their last performance prior to the international break, with a 1-0 loss to Rangers being something that the club would like to quickly forget about.

The defeat marked the first time this season that Postecoglou's team have failed to score in a game, with his squad having proven to be very attack-minded.

Celtic's David Turnbull celebrates with teammates against FK Jablonec on August 12, 2021© Reuters

While they are currently sixth in the league, nobody has scored more goals than their tally of 13, which includes two 6-0 victories.

When they are on form, the Bhoys have proven themselves to be lethal, which is something that Ross County will be hoping is not the case on Saturday.

The visitors have only picked up two points this season, with a draw on the opening day of the campaign and in their most recent outing against Aberdeen.

Malky Mackay's men were unfortunate not to have won their last game after taking the lead via a Regan Charles-Cook strike, but they allowed their concentration to slip as an 87th-minute goal saw the Dons sneak a point from them.

Ross County have had defensive issues this season, which is not a great sign as they prepare for a game with Celtic, as they have failed to keep a clean sheet since the 0-0 draw against St Johnstone at the start of the Scottish Premiership.

However, the Staggies did defeat the Bhoys the last time they met, with a goal from Jordan White helping them to earn a 1-0 victory, which they will be hoping to repeat this time out.

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L

Celtic form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L

Ross County Scottish Premiership form:
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • D

Ross County form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • D



Team News

New Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou pictured on July 20, 2021© Reuters

Celtic have been dealt a major blow heading into this game as forward Kyogo Furuhashi suffered an injury while representing Japan on international duty, meaning he is likely set to miss this fixture.

However, there has been positive news in relation to Christopher Jullien, who is yet to make an appearance this season, as he was recently named in Celtic's Europa League squad, giving some hope that he could be set to return to the squad soon.

Saturday could also see Jota make his debut for the club after the winger joined the Bhoys on a season-long loan from Benfica on transfer deadline day, bolstering the attacking options.

Ross County could also be set to hand out a first full debut to one of their new signings as Jack Baldwin is available to start having made his first appearance from the bench against Aberdeen after joining from Bristol Rovers.

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Ralston, Wesh, Starfelt, Juranovic; Christie, Turnbull, McGregor; Jota, Abada, Edward

Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Randall, Clarke, Baldwin, Paton; Tillson, Cancola, Charles-Cook, Callachan, Spittal; White


SM words green background

We say: Celtic 3-0 Ross County

Celtic might have been a mixed bag so far, but their quality and experience should shine through on Saturday as they look to start climbing the league table.

While Ross County will look to put up a resilient effort, the attacking qualities of the hosts will prove to be too much on this particular occasion.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



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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 77.45%. A draw had a probability of 13.7% and a win for Ross County had a probability of 8.87%.

The most likely scoreline for a Celtic win was 2-0 with a probability of 9.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (9.32%) and 2-1 (8.67%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.17%), while for a Ross County win it was 1-2 (2.69%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 9.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Celtic would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Celtic vs Ross County

Celtic
88.6%
Draw
8.6%
Ross County
2.9%
35
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Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths pictured in September 2020
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1110103132831
2Aberdeen11101024101431
3RangersRangers11713168822
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd125431813519
5Motherwell116141514119
6St Mirren134361722-515
7Dundee123361824-612
8Kilmarnock123361525-1012
9Ross County132651021-1112
10St Johnstone133191627-1110
11Hearts132381420-69
12Hibernian121561118-78


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