Preview: Celtic vs Falkirk - prediction, team news, lineups

Celtic will get their Scottish League Cup defence underway on Friday night when they host Falkirk at Celtic Park in the second round.

The hosts are set to enter the competition at this stage, while the visitors progressed through the group stage with three wins and one draw from four fixtures in Group A.

Match preview

Celtic have dominated Scottish football in modern history, including the Bhoys lifting both the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup trophies last season, while they were narrowly denied the domestic treble after a penalty defeat to Aberdeen in the Scottish FA Cup final.

Brendan Rodgers will be aiming to maintain their momentum in 2025-26, looking to defend both of their trophies while also adding the Scottish FA Cup to their cabinet once again, and they have had a strong start to the campaign.

Celtic defeated St Mirren 1-0 in their opening Scottish Premiership fixture, followed by beating Aberdeen 2-0 on matchday two, leaving them joint-top of the standings with six points alongside Hearts.

Now set to begin their first cup run of the season, Rodgers will be looking for his team to continue their winning run to progress into the next round, while also keeping their strong streak intact ahead of crucial clashes with Kairat Almaty in the Champions League playoff round, either side of a league encounter with Livingston.

The Bhoys will be full of confidence coming into the second round meeting with Falkirk, having remained undefeated in the last 10 meetings with the Bairns, while Celtic have also lost just one of their last 10 games at Celtic Park.

As for Falkirk, the visitors will be hoping to pull off a major upset in the second round of the Scottish League Cup, but a disappointing start to the Scottish Premiership and poor record against the Bhoys will leave them with little belief.

Falkirk started the 2025-26 campaign with three wins and one draw from four Group A games in the Scottish League Cup, ensuring their progression to this stage as they finished at the top of the group standings.

However, they were unable to replicate that form in the opening matches of their first Scottish Premiership season since 2009-10, with the Bairns drawing 2-2 with Dundee United and disappointingly losing 3-1 to Livingston.

Those results leave them 11th in the league standings, and ahead of difficult matchups with Hibernian, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Hearts and Rangers, John McGlynn will be desperate for a morale-boosting win over Celtic on Friday.

Celtic form (all competitions):

Falkirk form (all competitions):

Team News

Celtic will remain without the availability of Portuguese star Jota, with the winger expected to be out of action until at least January 2026 due to a cruciate ligament injury, while the rest of the squad should be available for selection.

Rodgers is likely to make a number of changes for this match ahead of their crucial Champions League playoff round first leg meeting with Kairat Almaty, meaning the likes of Shin Yamada, Anthony Ralston and Paulo Bernardo could start.

Meanwhile, Falkirk are anticipated to be without the services of Barney Stewart, Coll Donaldson, Finn Yeats, Jamie Sneddon and Thomas Lang due to injury issues, while Ethan Ross is also a doubt after coming off in the first half of their defeat to Livingston with an injury.

Alfie Agyeman is likely to come into the starting team in Ross's absence, while Scott Arfield could also gain a starting place alongside Calvin Miller and Ross MacIver in attack.

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Engels, McGregor, Bernardo; Forrest, Yamada, Maeda

Falkirk possible starting lineup:

Bain; Adams, Neilson, Henderson, McCann; Spencer, Tait; Miller, Arfield, Agyeman; MacIver

We say: Celtic 3-0 Falkirk

Celtic are the clear favourites for a commanding victory in this encounter, particularly as the game takes place at Celtic Park, and the hosts should record a significant victory on Friday.

The Bhoys are yet to concede in their first two competitive matches of the season, and we expect their clean sheet streak to continue against Falkirk.

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