CELTIC will head to the north east high in confidence following Thursday nights last-gasp 2-1 win over Lazio, however, the Hoops can ill-afford another Europa League hangover when they lock horns with Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon.
The Bhoys have only managed to bag a solitary point from their last two Scottish Premiership road trips – a double dent that saw Neil Lennon's men surrender their place at the summit to rivals Rangers.
Indeed, Celtic reclaimed top spot last weekend when they hit Ross County for six before Rangers were halted by Hearts, however, another away day wobble here would present Rangers with the opportunity to return to the top of the league later on in the day.
Alternatively, Lennon's champs could lay down the gauntlet to Steven Gerrard's Gers should Celtic pick up a much-needed away win at Pittodrie this weekend.
However, the Hoops may have to roll up their sleeves in the Granite City when coming up against an Aberdeen outfit who looked like their old selves last time out when picking up an impressive 3-0 win at Fir Park against Motherwell.
There have been murmurs of discontent among some of the Dandies faithful this season, however, Derek McInnes' men are unbeaten in the league at home thus far, but they will be hard tasked to keep that record intact against free-scoring Celtic.
The 8/1 (Ladbrokes) on offer for a home win will reel in some punters for sure, as will the 4/1 (Bet 365) that is available for a share of spoils, while Celtic are odds-on at 1/3 (Bet 365) to get back to winning ways on the road.
Of course, Aberdeen will make life difficult for the Scottish champions and they may look to replicate the approach that Livingston took when they shocked Celtic at the Tony Macaroni Arena three weeks ago.
Sam Cosgrove has carried his scintillating form from last season into this campaign and Celtic's rearguard will face a stern examination when trying to shackle the big Englishman who is an eye-catching 19/5 (UniBet) to score his 16th goal of the season.
Indeed, those odds are enticing, however, I'm going to switch gears in search of some value and visit the cards market for what tends to be a fiery fixture.
Both Lewis Ferguson (6/5 Bet 365) and Scott Brown (9/4 William Hill) are no strangers to a caution, however, better value could lie with Aberdeen full-back Shay Logan who looks overpriced at 3/1 (Bet 365) to have his name taken.
The Dons defender was booked in this fixture towards the end of last season when Celtic wrapped up their eighth consecutive Scottish top-flight title and Logan could be in for another long afternoon when trying to deal with the speed and trickery of Celtic's left-sided duo of Boli Bolingoi and Mohamed Elyounoussi.
What's more, I also like the look of the 9/5 (Betfred) on offer for Celtic to score over 1.5 goals and to rack up over 4.5 corners on account of the fluency that Lennon's men are playing with – the league leaders are averaging 3.1 goals per-game in the Scottish Premiership.
Furthermore, Hibs could have scored a hatful of goals in Aberdeen's last home game and a far superior Celtic side won't be so wasteful in front of goal.
McInnes will do his utmost to try and mastermind a plan that can finally rid the Dons of their Hoops hoodoo and although Aberdeen will have their moments (a home goal looks generous at 10/11 with William Hill) – I suspect Celtic will continue to be Aberdeen's achilles heel.
Last weekend's wonderful win in Lanarkshire will offer the hosts some encouragement, although I suspect their fine showing at Fir Park may prove to be a false dawn, and that coupled with Celtic's determination to avoid another stumble on their travels points towards a seventh consecutive Pittodrie triumph for the treble Treble winners.
An overdue away success for Celtic doesn't appeal at odds of 1/3 (Bet 365) however, an alternative angle to consider in sourcing some value from an away win could be to combine Celtic to win and over 1.5 match goals at 8/11 (Bet 365)
This Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic will be played on Oct 27, 2019 and kick off at 12:15. Check below for our tipsters best Aberdeen vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
