On Saturday evening, either Celtic or Aberdeen will see their unbeaten domestic record at the beginning of the 2024-25 season come to an end as they face up in the Scottish League Cup semifinals.
The hosts have achieved 11 wins and one draw from 12 domestic matches this season, while the visitors have an impressive record of 15 wins and one draw from their 16 games in domestic competitions.
Match preview
© Imago
Aside from a humiliating 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, Celtic have enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2024-25 season, including remaining unbeaten in all domestic competitions.
Brendan Rodgers' side have played 15 games across all competitions, winning 12, drawing two and losing just one, as well as winning 11 and drawing one of their 12 matches in domestic tournaments.
Those results have unsurprisingly placed them at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with 28 points, tied with Aberdeen, however, they lead the Dons due to an impressive goal difference of 26 from 10 games, having scored 29 goals while conceding just three.
The Bhoys dropped points for the first time when these two sides matched up on matchday eight of the league campaign, squandering a 2-0 lead at half time to eventually draw 2-2, but they quickly returned to winning ways with a 3-0 triumph against Motherwell and 2-0 over Dundee.
Now looking to extend their unbeaten start in Scottish competitions, Celtic will face Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup, with a place in the final up for grabs.
In comparison to their opponents, the Dons have not suffered a defeat in any competition this season, remaining unbeaten in their first 16 matches, although they are not participating in any European tournaments.
Jimmy Thelin, who was appointed in the summer ahead of the 2024-25 term, has made the dream start to life in Scotland, winning 15 and drawing one after 16 outings.
That start is in stark contrast to how their 2023-24 campaign played out, where Aberdeen placed ninth in the pre-split tournament and went through three managers, Barry Robson, Neil Warnock and Peter Leven.
Although the Dons impressively came back from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 with Celtic in their league encounter, they were largely outplayed by the Bhoys, a scenario they will be keen to avoid this time.
Aberdeen's players will have the added incentive of attempting to better their run in the Scottish League Cup last season, where they got to the final before being narrowly defeated 1-0 by Rangers.
Team News
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Adam Idah is unavailable for the hosts after the striker suffered an ankle injury against Motherwell, meaning Kyogo Furuhashi is likely to lead the line alongside Luis Palma and Daizen Maeda.
Elsewhere, Alistair Johnston is expected to come back into the team after starting on the bench last time out, while Cameron Carter-Vickers could also start for just the second time since returning from injury.
As for the Dons, Dante Polvara and Pape Habib Gueye are both ruled out with injuries, with the latter not likely to return until at least January.
Duk is also a doubt for Aberdeen after the forward was taken off in the 55th minute of their 2-1 win against Rangers in their last outing, meaning Shayden Morris could start.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Valle; McCowan, Bernardo, Engels; Maeda, Furuhashi, Palma
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, Mackenzie; Shinnie, Nilsen; Keskinen, McGrath, Morris; Sokler
We say: Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen
Both teams have had impressive starts to the 2024-25 season, and although they drew 2-2 in their previous encounter, Celtic were clearly the dominant side, leading us to expect a similar outcome this time with a victory for the Bhoys.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
