Prediction and odds for the game: Celtic (1/10) v Hamilton Academicals (18/1)
We are backing Celtic to win by a three-goal margin
When: Sunday, 2nd August 2020, Kick-off 16:30
Where: Celtic Park
On Sunday afternoon, reigning SPL champions Celtic will kick-off their quest for their tenth straight league title as they welcome Hamilton Academicals to Celtic Park.
Celtic
The Hoops have dominated the Scottish top-flight in the last decade, having been awarded their ninth title after the league campaign was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Neil Lennon’s team were 13 points clear of second-place bitter-rivals Rangers, so would have likely have claimed the title anyway even if the campaign had finished. The champions will be highly confident of sealing their tenth consecutive SPL title.
Celtic have not been too active in the transfer market this summer. They have brought in Greek goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens, while Norwegian attacking Mohamed Elyounoussi has returned for a second loan spell in Glasgow from Southampton.
The Hoops have enjoyed a mixed pre-season campaign, as a tour of France saw a draw against Nice while suffering defeats against Lyon and PSG. However, they returned to winning ways against compatriots Ross County and Hibernian.
There is unlikely to be much of a move in the status quo in the top-flight, so Celtic are likely to relish this game to kick-off their league campaign. The fact that the home side has recorded 20 wins in their previous 22 league outings will only make the champions more confident of starting with a victory in this clash.
Hamilton Academicals
The visitors kick-off their seventh straight season in the Scottish top-flight with this daunting clash. The Accies finished second from bottom in the last campaign. In fact, Brian Rice’s team have not finished above 10th place in those seven seasons, although the minnows one aim each season is just surviving the drop. That will likely be Hamilton’s priority this season once again.
The Accies won their final two games of the season against Rangers and Kilmarnock, to make sure they avoid the one relegation spot, which saw Hearts relegated to the Championship.
Hamilton Academicals have struggled for wins on their travels in the Scottish Premiership, winning just two of their last 15 away games in the top-flight. That poor away record looks unlikely to improve on Sunday considering that the Accies have won just one of the last 27 meetings with Celtic in all competitions.
Conclusion
Celtic are major favourites to win this clash, so a home win offers very little value. Instead, we look at the goals market. We are backing Celtic to win by a three-goal margin, while also backing Odsonne Edouard to score at anytime, as the young French forward has been prolific in the last two seasons.
Verdict: We are backing Celtic to win by a three-game winning margin at odds of 10/3 and/or Odsonne Edouard to be an anytime goalscorer at 4/9. (All odds are taken from Bet365).
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Will Celtic kick-off their title challenge with a victory?