Celtic v Hibernian: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Celtic got the better of Hibernian in their league meeting last weekend and now will be hoping to repeat the trick in this League Cup round-of-16 clash.

Celtic v Hibernian betting tips and predictions

Celtic to win and over 3.5 goals - 6/5

Celtic have won six of the last editions of the Scottish League Cup and will be hoping to repeat the trick again this year.

They get their campaign underway against fellow Premiership side Hibernian, who have had a tough time of it recently.

The Hibees had three managers last season and finished in the bottom six of the top flight. They have given caretaker manager David Gray the job on a permanent basis but he has had a tough start to his first full campaign in charge, losing both of their opening two games without scoring.

Gray's men were beaten 3-0 away to St Mirren on the opening weekend before falling 2-0 to Celtic at Easter Road last time out.

They need a spark to kick start their campaign but look unlikely to get it from this clash with Celtic, who have been in dominant form recently.

The Bhoys are 19 games unbeaten in all competitions and have looked solid in their two league games, beating Kilmarnock 4-0 before securing the aforementioned 2-0 win over Hibs.

Paolo Bernardo and Adam Idah have returned on permanent transfers following loan spells last season while Kasper Schmeichel has replaced the departing Joe Hart in goal.

Crucially, they have so far managed to retain the services of key man Matt O’Riley despite repeated advances from abroad.

They may not have improved the squad massively from last term but they remain the strongest team in Scotland after winning 12 of the last 13 league titles.

Brendan Rodgers’ men should be able to demonstrate their dominance with a victory over Hibs and a high-scoring one looks likely.

Three of Hibs’ last four games in this competition have gone over 3.5 goals and five of the last eight head-to-heads between these two teams have also seen four or more goals.

Side with Celtic to win a game with four or more goals fancied to land. 

James Forrest to score at any time - 12/5

James Forrest has been a fine servant to Celtic throughout his career and while he is entering the veteran stage of his career, he can still be useful.

With Brendan Rodgers likely to give Forrest another start after he has begun the last two league games, he looks overpriced to get on the scoresheet.

The forward averaged 0.81 goals per 90 minutes in his cameo appearances in the league last season and scored a crucial goal in their cup semi-final win over Aberdeen last term.

Expect the winger to be involved once again and he looks a big price to find the net against Hibs here.   

Joe Newell to be shown a card - 21/10

Joe Newell looks set to be busy in the centre of Hibs’ midfield against Celtic and he is known for attracting the unwanted attention of the referee.

The 31-year-old was carded 10 times last season and has already gone in the book this season, being shown a card in the meeting between these two teams last week.

Against a strong midfield, an area which is arguably the Bhoys’ biggest strength, Newell looks a solid candidate to pick up another card.

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Celtic v Hibernian odds

Celtic - 1/7
Draw - 15/2
Hibernian - 12/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.