Celtic, aiming to retain their Scottish Cup title for the third successive season, will host Raith Rovers at Celtic Park on Saturday evening in their fifth round tie.
The hosts defeated Kilmarnock 2-1 to advance into this round, while the visitors bested Falkirk 2-1 after extra-time in their fourth round matchup.
Match preview
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Celtic are enjoying a superb 2024-25 season, having already lifted the Scottish League Cup trophy, progressed into the Champions League knockout rounds and on track to defend both the Scottish Premiership and Scottish FA Cup titles.
The Bhoys have impressively suffered just three defeats all season, including a heavy 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund, a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Rangers, and a 4-2 setback against Aston Villa.
However, Brendan Rodgers and his squad have shown great character and resilience, instantly bouncing back from each defeat with impressive winning and undefeated runs.
Since last losing to Aston Villa, Celtic have recorded victories over both Motherwell (3-1) and Dundee (6-0) in the league, extending their lead at the top of the table to 13 points, and their focus will now turn to their Scottish Cup defence.
However, the Bhoys will likely have one eye on Bayern Munich's upcoming visit to Paradise for the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff round tie, and Rodgers will be eager for his team to maintain their winning momentum ahead of that crucial clash.
Celtic will certainly be confident of securing the victory on Saturday, not only benefiting from home advantage - where they remain unbeaten since December 2023 - but they also compete a tier above their opponents.
Raith Rovers narrowly missed out on promotion into the top division last season after losing 6-1 on aggregate to Ross County in the playoff final, having finished second in the league table behind Dundee United.
The Rovers have failed to produce the same level of performance so far this term, currently sitting seventh in the table with 27 points from 22 games, leaving them nine adrift of the playoff places and six above the relegation spots.
Raith Rovers have faced considerable turbulence this season, appointing Neill Collins to replace Ian Murray at the beginning of the term, only for Collins to leave for Sacramento Republic in December.
Barry Robson was swiftly announced as his successor, but the former Aberdeen boss has endured a challenging start at Raith Rovers, losing three and winning two of his opening five games in charge.
Robson will be hoping a shock upset against Celtic could ignite a promising run for the Rovers, but history is firmly on Celtic's side, with the Bhoys winning their last five encounters, conceding just one goal while scoring 16.
Team News
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James Forrest is expected to be the only absentee for the hosts due to a foot injury, leaving Rodgers with an almost fully fit squad to choose from for Saturday's outing.
With the upcoming matchup against Bayern Munich in mind, Rodgers may decide to field a rotated side against Raith Rovers, meaning the likes of Johnny Kenny, Jeffrey Schlupp and Yang Hyun-Jun could start.
As for Raith Rovers, a disappointing 3-1 loss to Dunfermline last time out may mean that Robson opts to name a changed starting team against Celtic.
Dylan Easton is one player that is expected to keep his place in the starting 11, as the midfielder is their top scorer with seven league goals so far this season.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Ralston, Scales, Trusty, Schlupp; Engels, Bernardo, McCowan; Maeda, Kenny, Hyun-Jun
Raith Rovers possible starting lineup:
Dabrowski; Doherty, Hanlon, Dick, Stevenson; Brown, Matthews; Marsh, Easton, Connolly; Gullan
We say: Celtic 4-0 Raith Rovers
While the visitors may name a rotated side in anticipation of their upcoming Champions League fixture, they remain strong favourites to secure a resounding victory on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
