CELTIC will finally get their hands on the Premiership trophy after they finish the league campaign with a clash against Aberdeen and the Hoops will be looking to spark back into life before the Scottish Cup Final.
Since wrapping up the title at Tynecastle in the first game after the split, Ange Postecoglou's side have been in terrible form, with a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox followed by a home draw with St Mirren and their midweek 4-2 loss at Hibernian.
But there will be a carnival feeling at Celtic Park for the visit of the Dons and the champions will be desperate to give their fans plenty to cheer before captain Callum McGregor lifts the league trophy again.
Another Treble is within Celtic's grasp and this is the final chance for players to nail down a starting spot for the Hampden showpiece with Inverness Caledonian Thistle next weekend.
Aberdeen can relax a little after sealing third place in midweek with a win over St Mirren, capping a remarkable upturn in fortunes since Barry Robson replaced Jim Goodwin in the dugout.
A run of seven successive victories, capped by a rousing triumph over Rangers at Pittodrie, was enough to fire the Dons clear of Hearts in the race for best of the rest.
Like Celtic, their form has also dipped of late, with that midweek win over the Buddies ending a run of three games without a victory. But it's job done with third place now sewn up and a good performance and result at Parkhead would give the Red Army even more cause for optimism heading into next term.
How the bookies view it
Despite their bad run for form, Celtic are red-hot favourites at 2/13 with McBookie. Aberdeen are as big as 18/1 with Quinnbet and that will attract a few speculative punters while the draw is a chunky 15/2 with the same firm.
Recent head to head
Aberdeen haven't beaten Celtic since 2018 but that match could be an omen as it was 1-0 Parkhead victory on the final day of the league season. The best the Dons have managed in this fixture since then is three draws and the last six clashes have all ended in victories for the Hoops. It was a 4-0 battering when Robson took his side to Celtic Park back in mid-February.
Players to watch
I'd imagine Postecoglou will start with his strongest available side as Celtic have a full week to recover ahead of the cup final. Reo Hatate scored a double when Aberdeen last came calling and netted from the spot in the midweek loss at Easter Road. He looks worth a punt here at 14/5 with William Hill for anytime scorer.
Former Benfica forward Luis ‘Duk' Lopes has been a great signing for Aberdeen and he made a timely return from injury in midweek. The 23-year-old has the talent to hurt Celtic's defence and looks the best bet for a Dons goal with Bojan Miovski crocked. Duk is 3/1 with Bet365 to grab a Parkhead goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
Postecoglou's defence has been shaky since Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston picked up injuries and I cashed in by backing both teams to score at 13/8 in Celtic's last home game against St Mirren. BTTS is shorter for this game but Quinnbet price it at 5/4 with the best odds elsewhere just 17/20 at William Hill.
Over 3.5 goals has landed in the last two for the Hoops but Robson has made the Dons a tough nut to crack. That makes me think under 3.5 goals looks decent value for this one at 20/21 with Ladbrokes.
Games between these sides have lacked bad blood this season, with just four yellow cards across the three meetings. That makes under 2.5 cards worth a look at 5/4 with Bet365. Betting against both sides picking up a card pays the same price at the same firm.
The Hoops have dominated the corner count in this fixture so far this season, winning 24-3 on aggregate across the three meetings. A corner bet landed for me in their last game at Celtic Park and another came up in midweek at Easter Road. Again, that market hasn't been priced up but I'm going for over five first-half corners at 11/10 with Bet365.
This Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen will be played on May 27, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Aberdeen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
