MX23RW : Tuesday, April 30 01:25:08| >> :120:7043:7043:
[monks data]
Celtic logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 31
Mar 19, 2022 at 3pm UK
Celtic Park
Ross County

Celtic
4 - 0
Ross County

Giakoumakis (11', 18', 61' pen.), Maeda (26')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Baldwin (90+2')
Ramsay (28')

Preview: Celtic vs. Ross County - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between Celtic and Ross County, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Celtic shall be aiming to maintain their place in the top spot of the Scottish Premiership this weekend when they welcome Ross County on Saturday.

However, the visitors shall provide stern competition for the Hoops, heading into the game on the back of three victories in a row.


Match preview

Celtic's Callum McGregor celebrates scoring their first goal with Reo Hatate and Georgios Giakoumakis on March 14, 2022© Reuters

With just three games to go this season, Celtic are edging closer to getting their hands back on the Scottish Premiership, with the fate of the title very much up to them.

If the Hoops can win all of their remaining fixtures in the league, they will be crowned champions, but with a tough Old Firm derby coming up, there will be no room for error beforehand.

That includes this Saturday, where the squad shall be hoping to continue their unbeaten run at Celtic Park, having gone 14 games without a loss in front of their own fans this season.

Ange Postecoglou's team come into the game in great form, and recently booked their place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals by defeating Dundee United 3-0 with Callum McGregor scoring, and Giorgos Giakoumakis getting himself a brace.

This means the possibility of a treble still remains as the Hoops have already won the Scottish League Cup, but given that they are just three points above Rangers in the league, there is no room for error here.

Celtic's Greg Taylor in action with Dundee United's Nicholas Clark on March 14, 2022© Reuters

Ross County will be aiming to ruin the party on Saturday, as they are enjoying a good run themselves, having won a trio of games heading into this one, providing plenty of confidence.

The previous two matches have seen Ross Laidlaw keep clean sheets as they earned 1-0 wins, showcasing the tight defensive unit that the Staggies boast, and their ability to battle in tight games.

That is what this match is sure to be, but the club have struggled away from home over the course of this season, losing eight times, while only managing to take all three points on four occasions.

That is something Malky Mackay will want to see change in order to prepare for the next campaign, but also to finish as highly as possible in the 2022-23 league table.

However, Ross County will be well aware of the fact that they have been defeated twice by Celtic this season, which they shall be hoping to get revenge on this time around.

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W

Celtic form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W

Ross County Scottish Premiership form:
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W



Team News

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou celebrates after the match on March 14, 2022© Reuters

Jota was rested during the Scottish Cup quarter-final, but he is somebody that will likely come straight back into the team this weekend, providing his attacking qualities out wide.

Giakoumakis had been brought back into the starting XI for the Hoops, and considering the fact he scored a brace, it might be a tough choice to leave him out now the striker is fully fit again.

David Cancola and Josh Sims will once again be doubts heading into this match after they missed out during the recent Ross County's outing, but after a longer break than Celtic, they might be now up to full speed.

Joseph Hungbo has been in fine form recently, proving to be a real threat in front of goal, and he is likely to find himself on the wing, with Regan Charles-Cook being on the other side.

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Ralston, Juranovic, Starfelt, Taylor; Bitton, Rogic, McGregor; Jota, Maeda, Giakoumakis

Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Ramsay, Baldwin, Iacovitti, Randall; Tillson, Callachan; Hungbo, Charles-Cook, Paton; White


SM words green background

We say: Celtic 2-0 Ross County

Celtic have been dominant throughout the entire season, especially at home, and even though the visitors are playing well at the moment, it will be a tall task for them.

The Hoops are just three games away from potentially being crowned champions, and they will be keen for this to not be the match that sees them slip up.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



ID:480928:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9155:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Celtic win with a probability of 87.4%. A draw had a probability of 9.1% and a win for Ross County had a probability of 3.48%.

The most likely scoreline for a Celtic win was 3-0 with a probability of 13.57%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (13.25%) and 4-0 (10.42%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (4.33%), while for a Ross County win it was 0-1 (1.41%). The actual scoreline of 4-0 was predicted with a 10.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Celtic would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Celtic vs Ross County

Celtic
80.6%
Draw
11.1%
Ross County
8.3%
36
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Celtic's Reo Hatate in action with Rangers' Joe Aribo, February 2, 2021
Read Next:
Scottish Cup semi-final draw: Celtic vs. Rangers & Hearts vs. Hibs
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
1Celtic110082275581
2RangersRangers110074245078
3Hearts101046341263
4Kilmarnock10104334952
5St Mirren10013945-643
6Dundee10014556-1141
Relegation Group
1Hibernian11004752-542
2Aberdeen11003649-1338
3Motherwell10014652-637
4St Johnstone10012549-2431
5Ross County10013258-2630
6Livingston11002459-3521
 
First Phase
1Celtic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
12Livingston3339212259-3718


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!