Celtic vs Buckie Thistle Prediction and Betting Tips

WE'VE seen some memorable cup shocks over the years but none would be bigger than Highland League side Buckie Thistle rocking up to Celtic Park and humbling the Hoops.

The minnows celebrated as if they had won the Scottish Cup when their name came out of the hat with the holders as the draw for the fourth round was made. That has catapulted Graeme Stewart's side into the media spotlight and they will now be desperate to put on a show when they head to Glasgow.

With Celtic coming out of cold storage after the winter break in the Premiership, the minnows will be hoping they can catch Brendan Rodgers' men and cold and claim a place in the history books.

Buckie Thistle warmed up for their date with destiny by beating Huntly 3-2 in the Highland but it was a stormy match and gaffer Stewart was sent off for running onto the pitch to confront a rival player who was stirring things up.

Now they face the fight of their lives taking on a Celtic side who were starting to purr again heading into the winter shutdown. Back-to-back defeats by Kilmarnock and Hearts at the start of December had fans fearing their crown was slipping in the Premiership title race. But the Hoops then rattled off four wins in a row, including a 2-1 derby victory over Rangers that brought up two tips for our man Mark.

Rodgers has now had time to work with his players on the training ground and he also added to the squad earlier this week by bringing in German winger Nicolas Khun from Rapid Vienna.

I'd imagine we'll see the new boy at some point against Buckie Thistle and Rodgers will be looking for his side to hit the ground running ahead of a tough month in the league that includes trips to Pittodrie and Easter Road.

How the bookies view it

Everyone loves a bit of romance but the bookies leave that aside and you can back Buckie Thistle at a whopping 150/1 with SkyBet. Celtic's best price is just 1/40 at BoyleSports and even the draw is huge at 50/1 with Coral.

Head to head

These sides have never faced off before but Celtic have suffered an embarrassing Scottish Cup defeat at home to a Highland side with Thistle in their name before. That 3-1 loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2000 remains one of Scottish football's biggest shocks and the Hoops also infamously crashed out of the Cup to Clyde six years later on Roy Keane's debut.

Players to watch

I'd imagine Buckie Thistle will sit deep so Celtic will need a bit of magic or some long-range shooting to find a way through. Winger Luis Palma is capable of both and he's 4/5 at Bet365 for anytime scorer. He might be better value for an assist if that market is ever priced up.

Jack Murray has scored in the last three games for Buckie Thistle and backing him for a dream Parkhead goal pays 28/1 with Bet365.

Anything else catch the eye?

Celtic have been corner kings in Scotland this term and even amassed 23 of them at Dens Park on Boxing Day. I'd usually advise betting on Hoops corners but if they get a few goals ahead early on in this tie then the pace and intensity could drop. So I fancy under 12 match corners and that pays 11/10 with Bet365.

Using the same logic, it's tempting to bet against an avalanche of goals, especially if Buckie Thistle park the bus. Combining a Celtic win with under five goals pays 7/4 in a bet builder at Bet365 and going a little safer by making that under six goals still pays 5/6.

Nobody in the Buckie Thistle ranks will want to score an own goal but that's a possibility when you're forced to defend inside your own box for long spells. Bet365 are offering a tempting 5/1 on someone putting through their own net here.

This Scottish Cup match between Celtic and Buckie Thistle will be played on Jan 21, 2024 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Buckie Thistle prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.

Celtic vs Buckie Thistle Betting Tips & Predictions