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

Seeking their first win since August, rock-bottom Livingston play host to title challengers Celtic at the Home of the Set Fare Arena in round 19 of the Scottish Premiership on Friday.

Celtic head into the weekend on a blistering run of nine consecutive victories over the home side since a goalless draw in October 2021 and will be looking to extend this dominant four-year streak.

Match preview

Seventeen games into the campaign, Livingston remain the only side yet to hit double-digit points in the league, as they look on course for another run in the relegation round.

The Lions went down two seasons ago, when they picked up just five wins from 38 games to finish rock-bottom in the relegation round table, but a 4-2 victory over Ross County in the Championship playoff final in May saw them secure promotion at the first time of asking.

However, it has been another turbulent top-flight campaign for Livingston, who have managed just one win from their 17 matches so far while losing 10 and claiming six draws to collect just nine points from a possible 51.

David Martindale’s men’s run of consecutive games without a win stretched to 17 across all competitions on Saturday when they fell to a 1-0 defeat against St. Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium courtesy of a second-half strike from Mikael Mandron.

Livingston’s last and only victory came on August 9, when they edged out Falkirk 3-1 at Home of the Set Fare Arena thanks to goals from Scott Pittman, Lewis Smith and 37-year-old striker Jeremy Bokila.

While they will be desperate to find their feet and begin a turnaround this weekend, next up is the daunting challenge of taking on a Celtic side, who have won each of their last nine meetings, a run stretching back to a goalless draw in October 2021.

Wilfried Nancy’s men stopped the rot with a dominant team display last Sunday as they secured a 3-1 victory over 10-man Aberdeen when the two sides squared off at Celtic Park.

Kenan Bilalovic struck in the 74th minute to cancel out Benjamin Nygren’s 34th-minute opener and give Aberdeen a fighting chance, but goals from Kieran Tierney and James Forest in a late four-minute spell helped Celtic secure all three points.

This was a much-needed victory for the Bhoys, who went into the tie on a four-game losing streak, including a shock defeat at the hands of St. Mirren in the League Cup final on December 14.

Celtic have won 11 of their 17 Premiership matches so far while losing four and claiming two draws to collect 35 points and sit second in the league standings, six points behind first-placed Hearts and five above third-placed Motherwell.

Livingston Scottish Premiership form:

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:

Celtic form (all competitions):

Team News

Livingston will take to the pitch without the defensive duo of Cameron Kerr and 26-year-old Shane Blaney, who have been ruled out through muscle and calf injuries respectively.

They are joined on the club’s injury table by Scottish midfielder Aidan Denholm, who is recovering from a hamstring problem, while fellow countryman Adam Montgomery has missed the last eight games since picking up a calf injury in October.

Meanwhile, Celtic remain without several players down the spine of the team, as the likes of Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Portuguese forward Jota continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Welsh midfielder Callum Osmand has been ruled out since coming off injured against Midtjylland in November, while Hungarian defender Marcelo Saracchi is recuperating from a hamstring injury.

Kelechi Iheanacho has missed the last two games and is a major doubt for this weekend’s tie, while Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti are away at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations with Congo DR and Tunisia respectively.

Livingston possible starting lineup:

Prior; Brenet, Wilson, Finlayson, Montano; Tait, Sylla; May, Pittman, Yengi; Bokila

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Tierney, Yang; McGregor, Engels; McCowan, Nygren, Maeda; Kenny

We say: Livingston 0-3 Celtic

While Livingston will be looking to find their feet this weekend, they have their work cut out against a superior Celtic side, who have won each of their previous nine encounters.

After a rough patch saw them lose four consecutive games, Nancy’s side picked up a spirit-lifting result against Aberdeen last time out, and we are backing them to continue from where they left off at Celtic Park.

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