Prediction and odds for the game: Kilmarnock (12/1) v Celtic (2/9)
We are backing both teams to score at odds of 21/20
When: Sunday, 9th August 2020, Kick-off 16:30
Where: Rugby Park
On Sunday afternoon Kilmarnock host Celtic at Rugby Park, as the visitors look to make it two wins out of two in this season’s SPL.
Kilmarnock
The home side finished eighth place in the SPL table last season after a poor run of form towards the end of the Scottish top-flight campaign. In fact, Killie failed to win any of their final four league matches of last season. An opening gameweek 2-1 defeat at Hibernian means that Kilmarnock have now failed to win in five SPL outings, suffering four defeats in the process.
A poor defensive record has been the key to those recent defeats, as they have conceded at least two goals in four of their last five outings in the SPL.
Kilmarnock have an inconsistent recent home record in the Scottish top-flight. However, a record of two wins in their previous seven league outings at Rugby Park is a poor one. Their defensive deficiencies have also been a key to those poor home results, as Killie have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six home matches in the Scottish top-flight.
Celtic
The reigning Scottish champions kicked off this season in typical fashion by recording a 5-1 home win over Hamilton Academicals. The Hoops star French striker Odsonne Edouard kicked off the campaign with a hat-trick. The striker has now scored five goals in his last four league appearances dating back to last season.
The victory over the Accies means that the reigning champions are undefeated in 11 league outings, having recorded ten victories. Neil Lennon’s team has also scored score at least two goals in all of those 11 unbeaten games in the Scottish top-flight.
Celtic are unbeaten in ten away games away from home in the SPL, having recorded nine victories in the process. A 2-2 draw at Livingston in their last away league game ended a nine-game winning run on the road in the Scottish top-flight for the Hoops. Unsurprisingly, Celtic have scored at least two goals in all ten of their recent league games on their travels.
The visitors have had the better of recent meetings between these two teams, as the Hoops have won their last six meetings with Kilmarnock in all competitions.
Conclusion
We believe that Celtic will record another victory in this clash, but the away win offers very little value. The Hoops SPL games are usually high-scoring, so we are backing over 3.5 goals scored in this clash. The other bet we are recommending is booth teams to score, as Celtic have kept just two clean sheets in their previous seven away games in the SPL.
Verdict: We are backing both teams to score at odds of 21/20 and over 3.5 goals scored at odds of 11/8 (All odds are taken from Bet365).
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Will Celtic record another high-scoring victory in the SPL?