Celtic will be looking to make it two wins from two at the beginning of the Scottish Premiership season on Sunday when they travel to Partick Thistle.
Having enjoyed European success in midweek, the Bhoys will be confident of emerging victorious at Firhill this weekend.
Partick Thistle
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Partick Thistle are beginning their third consecutive season in the top flight, having finished eighth last term and a comfortable 10 points away from the relegation zone.
Thistle grabbed the headlines over the summer with the unveiling their new mascot, Kingsley. The yellow character was designed by Turner-prize nominated artist David Shrigley and caused a stir on social media.
On the pitch, Jags boss Alan Archibald will be hoping to push his team into the top six this season.
They showed signs of promise at times last year but struggled to find consistency throughout the campaign and they will need to rectify this in order to improve their league standing.
Thistle opened their campaign away at Hamilton Academical last week, where they earned a battling point after seeing Frederic Frans dismissed after just 25 minutes. Hamilton looked to make their man advantage count but Thistle stood firm to earn a share of the spoils with a goalless draw.
Recent form: WDDDD
Celtic
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The reigning champions finally got their domestic campaign underway last weekend, having spent most of pre-season attempting to earn a spot in the Champions League.
The Bhoys moved a step closer in midweek as a goalless draw with Qarabag FC sealed their progression into the playoff round of the qualifying stages, where they will face Malmo for a place in the showpiece European competition.
Celtic began the defence of their Scottish title with a 2-0 success over Ross County at Celtic Park last Saturday, courtesy of goals from Leigh Griffiths and Stefan Johansen.
They were unconvincing in the early stages of last season as Deila adjusted to the rigours of Scottish football, but they improved as the campaign wore on, with the Norwegian lifting the title and Scottish League Cup in his first campaign at the helm.
As a further bit of encouragement ahead of this weekend's match, it is worth noting that Celtic were in good form away from home towards the end of last season, winning eight of their last 10 on the road and drawing the other two.
Recent form: WWWDWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDWD
Team News
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Thistle could hand a debut to Matthias Pogba, older brother of Juventus star Paul Pogba. The striker, who has signed a one-year deal with the Jags, was with Crawley Town last season.
Archibald will have to make at least one change in his defence, with Frans suspended after his red card last week. Dan Seabourne, who missed the opening-day draw with injury, could be drafted back in to partner Liam Lindsay. If Seabourne is not fit in time, Jack Hendry could be the man to replace Frans.
Celtic will still be without new signing Nadir Cifti, who continues to serve a six-match domestic ban. The former Dundee United striker started against Qarabag but in his absence, Leigh Griffiths is expected to come in as the lone frontman.
Charlie Mulgrew continues to be absent as he recovers from a knee injury, so Emilio Izaguirre is likely to remain at left-back.
Kris Commons could come back into the side, having returned to the bench in midweek after a month out with a broken toe.
Partick Thistle possible starting lineup:
Cerny; Miller, Seabourne, Lindsay, Booth; Welsh, Osman; Bannigan, Stevenson, Amoo; Pogba
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Brown, Bitton; Mackay-Steven, Johansen, Commons; Griffiths
Head To Head
Celtic have a far superior record over Partick, winning 129 of their 192 meetings and losing just 28, with 35 draws. Partick have beaten them just 15 times on home soil, while tasting defeat on 64 occasions.
Celtic won all four of last season's meetings without conceding a single goal, racking up a 12-0 total score in their favour. The most recent clash saw the Bhoys win 2-0 at home in April, while they ran out 3-0 winners on their last visit to Firhill back in February.
We say: Partick 0-2 Celtic
Celtic have been in fine form of late and it is hard to look beyond them in this one. They have played more competitive football than Partick so far and will be much sharper than their hosts as a result. Recent meetings between the sides suggest that Celtic will have no problems in taking all three points.
Steven Toplis
