Celtic v Raith Rovers: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Just five weeks and five matches into his reign as the new Raith Rovers boss, ex-Celtic star Barry Robson gets to return to Parkhead for a mouthwatering Scottish Cup fifth-round tie.

It is a huge day out for Robson, his team and fans of the Championship club, though their indifferent form suggests it could be a brutal 90 minutes for the 25/1 outsiders.

Celtic v Raith Rovers betting tips and predictions

Celtic & Over 3.5 Goals - 4/5

Robson masterminded something of a minor upset by guiding the Rovers past Falkirk in round four of the Scottish Cup, but it would be one of the great football miracles if he could do it again this weekend.

After just five matches in charge at Stark's Park, Robson gets to lead his team out against mighty Celtic at Parkhead, where he spent two seasons as a player back in the mists of time.

The Championship strugglers head for Glasgow with odds of 25/1 alongside them and there won't be many takers outside of Kirkcaldy.

This is real David and Goliath stuff, best illustrated by upcoming appointments on their schedules. After the dust has settled on this match, Raith will prepare for a league game with Partick; Celtic, meanwhile, will be looking forward to a UEFA Champions League showdown with German giants Bayern Munich.

That Bayern match actually will have a bearing on this weekend because it means Brendan Rodgers will no doubt make a few tweaks to his team.

Rodgers will still send out a strong side, as was the case in round four against Kilmarnock, a game they won 2-1. Last year, Rodgers' first back at the club, he won the league and cup double and he will want to do so again.

Those extra European commitments have added workload throughout the first half of the season but with the league as good as won - they are 13 points clear - and Bayern clear favourites to do a job on them in the UEFA Champions League, the defence of the Scottish Cup could take on added significance over the spring.

Indeed, this weekend's fixture is more of a distraction (albeit a welcome one) for Raith, who are struggling in seventh in the Championship, six points clear of the bottom two.

Under Robson, they have won one of five - excluding the 1-1 draw at Falkirk in round four, a game Raith won in extra time.

They lost 3-1 at Dunfermline last weekend and they will have to show a new-found defensive resolve to keep the Hoops at bay. When a 6-0 Celtic win in correct-score betting is shorter than Raith simply winning at all, the tone for the match is surely set.

6-0 is the score line by which Celtic beat Dundee on Wednesday night.

They may not reach six but they have scored three or more on 21 occasions this term so should win this handsomely enough.

Daizen Maeda anytime scorer - 6/5

Daizen Maeda's European ban should ensure the Japanese striker lines up against Raith and he'll be running into the Rovers in good form.

Maeda was handed a two-match ban by UEFA after his red card in the UEFA Champions League group-stage win over Young Boys, so misses the first leg of the play-off round against Bayern next week.

Maeda played - and scored - in the previous round win over Kilmarnock, and scored twice in Wednesday's 6-0 romp past Dundee.

That's eight goals in his last 11 games for the 27-year-old, who has 18 for the season, already his best haul since moving to Glasgow three years ago.

Under 8.5 Celtic Corners - 10/11

Celtic are averaging nine corners a game in the Premiership this season. They up that number to 10.3 for home games, and that's against top-flight opposition.

So against Championship side Raith, you might presume their corner count will go through the roof.

It may well but a 2-way corner count of 8.5 is perhaps on the high side, especially if Celtic get this game won and won early.

Interestingly, in the previous round they only mustered four in the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock.

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Celtic v Raith Rovers odds

Celtic - 1/14
Draw - 9/1
Raith Rovers - 25/1

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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.