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Kilmarnock logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 27
Feb 2, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
Rugby Park
Celtic logo

Kilmarnock
0 - 4
Celtic


Tshibola (36')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Brown (29'), Edouard (52' pen., 62'), Ajeti (86')

Preview: Kilmarnock vs. Celtic - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Scottish Premiership clash between Kilmarnock and Celtic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon is under immense pressure heading into this Scottish Premiership game at Kilmarnock, after his team lost at home to St Mirren at the weekend.

Alex Dyer departed from his role as manager after the Ayrshire side's weekend defeat to St Johnstone, which left Killie ninth in the table.


Match preview

Kilmarnock manager Alex Dyer pictured on August 22, 2020© Reuters

Kilmarnock let a two-goal lead slip in their 3-2 weekend home defeat to St Johnstone and it proved to be the final straw as far as Alex Dyer's reign as manager was concerned.

The Englishman left the club by mutual consent almost immediately after the loss - the club's third in a row - and it is as yet unclear who will take charge of the team against Celtic.

Killie are now ninth in the league table, just five points ahead of bottom-placed Hamilton Academical, and confidence appears low among the players at Rugby Park.

It would not usually be a good time to face Celtic, but the Bhoys have considerable woes of their own, and Neil Lennon's own position is under some threat.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon pictured on November 5, 2020© Reuters

The Celts lost 2-1 at home to St Mirren on Saturday, the first time they had lost to the Buddies at Parkhead since 1990, and Lennon described his players' performance as "dreadful".

The Northern Irishman even described the defeat as the lowest point of his managerial career at the Hoops, and he has some work to do to re-inject his players with confidence ahead of the trip to Rugby Park.

Whether he can do that after comments implying that a massive rebuild of the squad is in the offing remains to be seen, but he is fortunate to be facing another club in turmoil on Tuesday evening.

One player who will need to do some work in the lead-up to the game is Irish defender Shane Duffy, who was clearly at fault for the Buddies' winning goal on Saturday.

The Celtic support is also demanding answers from the club about the reported review into Lennon's performance that was supposed to have taken place during January.

Rangers are now 23 points ahead of the Bhoys and the dreams of 10 titles in a row have evaporated as the clouds continue to gather over Parkhead.

Kilmarnock Scottish Premiership form: WDWLLL

Celtic Scottish Premiership form: LDDDWL


Team News

Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths pictured in September 2020© Reuters

Kilmarnock will be without veteran defender Kirk Broadfoot, who has a knee problem, and Stuart Findlay is out with an ankle injury.

Calum Waters is sidelined with an abdominal issue, while winger Greg Kiltie and midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu are also doubtful.

Gary Dicker returned to the squad on Saturday and is expected to feature again.

Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths faced criticism from his manager again about his fitness levels after being substituted at half time against St Mirren, and he may not feature against Killie.

James Forrest is nearing a return to action, with Lennon hoping to have the Scotland winger back for the run-in to the season, but he is not fit yet.

Christopher Jullien is still out with a knee injury, while Ryan Christie continues to be linked with a move away from the club.

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
Rogers; Millen, Dikamona, Rossi, Haunstrup; Burke, Power, Tshibola, McKenzie; Oakley, Kabamba

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Bain; Ajer, Bitton, Duffy, Taylor; Soro; Turnbull, Elyounoussi, McGregor; Ajeti, Edouard


SM words green background

We say: Kilmarnock 0-1 Celtic

Our prediction for this game is that Celtic will head back to Glasgow with three points after a narrow 1-0 win that will do little to inspire confidence among the club's fans.

The Celts are fortunate to be facing a club that has just lost its manager and that should be enough to give them the edge they need to win.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 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 1.5: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 67.75%. A draw had a probability of 18.6% and a win for Kilmarnock had a probability of 13.69%.

The most likely scoreline for a Celtic win was 0-2 with a probability of 10.86%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.77%) and 0-1 (9.69%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.72%), while for a Kilmarnock win it was 2-1 (3.92%). The actual scoreline of 0-4 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Celtic would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Kilmarnock vs Celtic

Kilmarnock
30.8%
Draw
11.5%
Celtic
57.7%
52
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General view of Rugby Park, home to Kilmarnock, from 2011
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Today's games header
1.15am
Steelers
@
Browns
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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