MANAGERLESS Aberdeen begin life after Barry Robson with a visit from champions and leaders Celtic, who are not exactly in a happy place either.
The long overdue removal of the Dons' hapless manager finally came after yet another atrocious, eye-bleedingly bad home match against Dundee in midweek where the Dons failed to win a single corner.
For a club like Aberdeen and with the investment in players, wage bill and support base to be sitting five points ahead of a relegation play-off spot is nothing short of disgraceful and the Pittodrie chairman needs to get the next appointment right, which would be a first.
Former Kilmarnock star and Dons coach Peter Leven will be in the caretaker role against a Celtic side who defeated Robson's team in his four meetings in charge by an aggregate score of 18-1.
However, Celtic were booed off last weekend despite beating Ross County, which has attracted plenty of criticism given they are top of the league and that was their sixth win in a row.
But there's a real frustration at the direction the club is heading and a trademark Celtic last minute transfer window rush has hardly helped matters.
How the bookies view it
Celtic are odds-on favourites as expected at 4/9 with bet365.
Aberdeen can be backed at 13/2 with 888sport and the draw is 15/4 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
Celtic annihilated Aberdeen 6-0 at Parkhead and also won 3-1 at Pittodrie in a game where the scoreline probably flattered the visitors.
But Aberdeen have an atrocious home record against the Hoops – their last win at home was eight years ago.
Players to watch
If it wasn't for Bojan Miovski, Aberdeen would be in deep trouble. He scored his 18th goal of the season from the penalty spot in midweek and has been the one bright spot for the Dons all season. He is 3/1 with bet365 to score anytime.
Matt O'Riley was linked with a big money move to Atletico Madrid in this window, but Celtic were desperate to keep him and with ten goals from midfield it's no surprise. He is 5/2 to score anytime with UniBet.
Anything else catch the eye?
This could be a tricky one for punters depending on how Aberdeen reacts. There's no doubt there's a squad full of underperformers at the club, but will they show an improvement against a Celtic side who are not on top of their game?
But when Aberdeen meet Celtic, the recent history of results is so one-sided in favour of the Glasgow side then you have to back them.
Aberdeen usually score though, but have major problems at the back defensively, so the call is an away with both teams to score at 2/1 with bet365.
The hosts have no wingers and play so narrow which is why they usually win so few corners. Celtic at 6/5 -4 on the corners handicap…against with bet365…looks a call given how many corners the Hoops usually win.
This Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic will be played on Feb 3, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. 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.