CELTIC are already three points ahead of Rangers in the title race, but face what could be a tricky trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen on Sunday.
The Hoops were miles away from their best last week, but still got the job done with a 4-2 win against Ross County on the opening game of the season.
Celtic have reluctantly sold key defender Carl Starfelt to Celta Vigo and they looked vulnerable defensively last week against the Staggies.
Aberdeen were the best of the rest last season, but completely failed to lay a glove on Celtic with four defeats and no goals against them.
Barry Robson's side are better than what they showed last week at Livingston when they allowed themselves to be drawn into a dust-up and didn't manage a single shot on target.
However, with Duk and Bojan Miovski up front and the creative force of Leighton Clarkson pulling the strings, they should be competitive at the very least here.
They remain short when it comes to squad depth, but they probably couldn't pick a better time to face a Celtic side who looks weaker than last term at this stage anyway.
How the bookies view it
Celtic are odds-on favourites in the north east at 7/20 with UniBet. Aberdeen are as big as 8/1 with Coral and the draw is 9/2 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
Aberdeen have an awful record against Celtic. The Parkhead side have won the last seven games and the Dons haven't won a Pittodrie fixture against them in eight years. Since then it's been one win in 34.
Players to watch
Duk had a sensational campaign last season, but was off-form last week and looked like he was carrying some condition too. However, the Cape Verde international is a class act on his game and is 3/1 to score anytime with bet365.
Kyogo Furuhashi continued where he left off last week by scoring, but it was David Turnbull who caught the eye with a double and he also takes the penalties. He could be value at 5/2 with Coral to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
If Ross County could score two goals in Glasgow, Aberdeen should be able to get on the scoresheet against a Celtic defence with injury prolems and a problem position in the goalkeeping department.
However, Celtic's strength in depth, particularly on their bench, should tell in the end and they can win with both teams to score at 13/8 with William Hill.
There should be goals here, but bookies have clocked that and with even over 3.5 goals only 6/5 generally, there may be value elsewhere.
Celtic conceded an incredible eight corners at home to Ross County last week and you would think the Dons – who got seven of their own at Livingston on Saturday on that plastic surface – can get a few too.
Bet365's 11/10 on Aberdeen with a three-corners start on the handicaps looks a solid shout.
Finally, Aberdeen's new central defender Slobodan Rubezic is a huge unit and looks certain to attract the attention of Scotland's officials this season as he showed on his debut last week. The giant Serbian defends first and asks questions later. He's 13/10 to be booked with bet365.
This Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic will be played on Aug 13, 2023 and kick off at 12:00. 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.
