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

The showpiece match in Scottish football will take place on Saturday afternoon as Aberdeen matchup with holders Celtic at Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup final.

The Dons are back in the final for the first time since their 2-1 defeat to the Bhoys in 2017, while the Hoops aim to claim the trophy for the third straight year.

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Match preview

Aberdeen have the opportunity to lift spirits when they clash with Celtic in the Scottish FA Cup final, after the mood around the club soured due to their Scottish Premiership defeat to Dundee United on the final day of the league campaign last weekend, marking their fourth successive loss.

The defeat saw Dundee Utd claim fourth place as the Dons fell to fifth, dropping from Europa League to Conference League qualifiers, with tensions boiling over at full-time as Jack Mackenzie was struck by a chair thrown by an Aberdeen fan.

Jimmy Thelin will be hopeful of rejuvenating the mood at Aberdeen with a victory in the upcoming final, as a win would boost them to automatic Europa League qualification and see the Dons claim their first major trophy since 2013-14 (the Scottish League Cup).

In season marked by inconsistency, the Dons have shown a level of steadiness in the Scottish Cup, securing a 3-0 win over Elgin City in the fourth round, a 3-0 victory against Dunfermline in the fifth round, a 4-1 triumph over Queen's Park in the quarter-finals and a dramatic 2-1 extra-time win against Hearts in the semi-finals.

Those victories booked their place in the Scottish Cup final for the first time since the 2016-17 showdown with Celtic, when the Dons initially took the lead through Jonny Hayes, before Stuart Armstrong swiftly equalised and Tom Rogic broke Aberdeen hearts with a 92nd-minute winner.

Aberdeen will be aiming for revenge for that defeat, but their record against Celtic this season is less than encouraging, suffering four losses in five meetings across all competitions, with the sole exception being a 2-2 draw in their initial encounter.

Celtic have dominated the four victories with a staggering 17-2 aggregate score, including back-to-back 5-1 wins in their most recent clashes, firmly establishing themselves as the clear favourites to lift the trophy on Saturday.

Brendan Rodgers has already guided the Bhoys to the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup trophies, leaving them on the verge of an astounding sixth domestic treble in the last nine seasons.

Ninety-two points from 38 league matches - featuring 29 wins, five draws and four defeats - marks another stellar league winning campaign, though that is the lowest tally they have amassed in the last four years.

Three of those defeats surprisingly came in Celtic's final seven regular-season fixtures, but the Bhoys have bounced back in the following games, now heading into the final undefeated in their last seven, with five wins and two draws.

That run includes a commanding 5-0 triumph over St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-final, following earlier victories against Kilmarnock (2-1) in the fourth round, Raith Rovers (5-0) in the fifth round and Hibernian (2-0) in the quarter-final.

Looking ahead to Saturday's trip to Hampden Park, Celtic have plenty of reason to be confident of victory, including boasting a record 42 Scottish Cup triumphs - including the last two tournaments - while Rodgers has not lost a match in this competition across his two spells managing the Bhoys.

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Team News

Aberdeen will be without injured trio Ester Sokler (leg), Sivert Heltne Nilsen (eye) and Vicente Besuijen (knee), while Gavin Molloy remains a doubt having failed to appear since a 2-1 loss to Ross County at the start of January.

Despite Mackenzie's facial injury following the incident after the Dundee Utd defeat, the defender has since returned to first-team training and is available for selection.

A defensive lineup of Alexander Jensen, Kristers Tobers, Mats Knoester and Graeme Shinnie, with Dimitar Mitov in goal, is expected to be named for the final, while changes may be made in the more advanced positions following several underwhelming displays in Aberdeen's final league match.

Meanwhile, Celtic will only be without Reo Hatate (knee) and Jota (cruciate ligament) for Saturday's final, after both players suffered injuries late in the season.

Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers both returned from brief spells on the sidelines in recent matches, and the defensive duo are likely to be named alongside Liam Scales and Greg Taylor, with Kasper Schmeichel also retaining his position, on Saturday.

In Hatate's absence, Paulo Bernardo could feature with Arne Engels and captain Callum McGregor in midfield, while Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda are expected to start in attack.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup: Mitov; Jensen, Tobers, Knoester, Shinnie; Clarkson, Polvara; Ambrose, Gueye, Okkels; Nisbet

Celtic possible starting lineup: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Bernardo; Kuhn, Idah, Maeda

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We say: Aberdeen 1-3 Celtic

The mood around Aberdeen has dampened due to poor form and recent incidents, while Celtic will be highly motivated to ensure a sixth domestic treble in the last nine seasons.

The Bhoys have dominated in meetings with the Dons this season, boasting a 17-2 aggregate score over the past four meetings, and we expect another commanding triumph in this one.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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