Preview: Kilmarnock vs. Celtic

Just three teams have won their opening two Scottish Premiership games, one of which is champions Celtic.

They will put that 100% winning record on the line this Wednesday away at Kilmarnock, who having lost their first two fixtures, sit bottom of the table and are the only side without at least a point to their name.

Kilmarnock

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Fifty years ago, Killie were basking in the glory of being crowned the champions of Scotland. It remains the only time that the men from Rugby Park ruled Scottish football and it is also a far cry from where the current crop of players find themselves.

Manager Gary Locke signed a new contract in April, but since then, his side have struggled for positive form.

Indeed, they ended last season on a run of eight defeats from nine outings and that decline has shown no signs of halting this time around.

Locke's charges have conceded a hefty six goals in matches against Dundee and Aberdeen, scoring none themselves in the process.

Consequently, Killie are rooted to the bottom of the table and having only just avoided a relegation playoff in 2014-15, there is a growing belief that they could fall through the trapdoor at the end of the campaign.

If Killie are to wrestle their way out of this slump, it could well be down the experienced duo of Lee McCulloch and Kris Boyd, both of whom signed on from Rangers during the summer.

Recent form: DWLWLL

Celtic

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Having spent much of the summer fighting through the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, there was a suggestion heading into the new season that Celtic would already be up to speed.

While they may not have been at their very best against Ross County and Partick Thistle, two wins, four goals scored and none against represents a decent start for Ronny Deila's charges.

Against Partick it was Tomas Rogic that stole the headlines on what was his first start for Celtic in two years.

The Australian, who has struggled to adapt to life in Glasgow following his switch from the Gold Coast Mariners in 2013, opened the scoring during an impressive display.

Speaking about the midfielder after the final whistle, Deila said: "He has a lot of things that he can give to the team and I think we will see much more of him. When I came here I hadn't heard anything about him, so I didn't know who he was."

Away from home last year Celtic showed positive form, losing just twice and scoring 34 goals during their 19 outings.

Recent form: WWWWDW Recent form (all competitions): WWDWWW

Team News

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After his impressive display last time out, Rogic is expected to keep his place in the heart of the Celtic midfield.

Elsewhere, captain Scott Brown could be rested, but Gary Mackay-Steven may come back into the starting lineup.

However, Stuart Armstrong is likely to miss the encounter, having limped off with a groin injury against Partick.

As for the home side, former Rangers trio Steven Smith, Boyd and McCulloch should all feature from the beginning.

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup: MacDonald; Westlake, Connolly, Findlay, Smith; Johnston, Hamill, Robinson; Higginbotham, Boyd, McCulloch

Celtic possible starting lineup: Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Van Dijk, Izaguirre; Bitton, Johansen; Commons, Rogic, Mackay-Steven; Griffiths

Head To Head

The last eight encounters between these two sides have all ended in Celtic victories.

During that time the Bhoys have found the net on 23 occasions, with Kilmarnock responding with only five goals of their own.

The most recent meeting between the pair was back in April when Celtic ran out 4-1 winners, thanks in part to a hat-trick from Leigh Griffiths.

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We say: Kilmarnock 0-2 Celtic

In Kilmarnock's first two games of the campaign, they have produced very little to suggest that they can cause Celtic any real problems. Home advantage may be in their favour, but apart from that, everything points to a win for the away side. Providing that they are on form, the visitors should be too strong.