CELTIC'S unbeaten run came shuddering to a halt in midweek and they need to make sure there's no European hangover when Dundee come calling on SPFL Premiership business.
I fancied the Hoops to blow away a Bodo/Glimt side coming out of cold storage but it was the Hoops who froze on Thursday night as they crashed to a 3-1 defeat in the Europa Conference League.
It was their first loss since a 3-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen back in November and Ange Postecoglou's men need to get back on track as they continue their Premiership title push.
They head into the weekend a point clear of Rangers at the top and face a Dundee side fighting for their lives at the other end of the table.
James McPake was axed as boss last week, despite winning his last two games, and the Dark Blues made the surprise decision to replace him with Mark McGhee.
The veteran faces a battle to win over sceptical fans but masterminding a shock at Parkhead would be the perfect way to begin his Dens Park reign.
How the bookies view it
Celtic remain massive favourites despite that midweek loss and are a best 1/7 at BoyleSports with Dundee a whopping 28/1 at Ladbrokes. Even the draw is as big as 17/2 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to head
Postecoglou's men romped to a 6-0 win when these sides met at Parkhead earlier in the season, with Kyogo Furuhashi becoming an instant fans' favourite as he netted a hat-trick (below).
Celtic also won 4-2 at Dens in November and have won 11 of the last 12 meetings, with the other game ending in a draw. Dundee haven't beaten them since a 2-0 Parkhead win in 2001.
Players to watch
Daizen Maeda is beginning to show why he scored so many goals in the J-League. The striker has headed home in the last two Celtic games and is 10/11 with McBookie for anytime scorer. The odds increase to 31/10 if you back him to break the deadlock.
Charlie Adam's set-piece deliveries could be crucial for Dundee and the former Rangers star would relish silencing the Parkhead boo boys. He's 11/1 at Paddy Power for a goal but is more likely for an assist, although I haven't seen a market for that yet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both meetings this season have produced six goals but I'd be surprised if that was the case here as Celtic have gone off the boil a little and McGhee will probably ask his side to defend deep. Under 3.5 goals is priced 4/5 at SBK and is a good shout for accumulators.
Postecoglou's men continue to rack up an incredible number of corners, with 12 against Bodo/Glimt in midweek. Over 8.5 Celtic corners is 19/20 at Unibet here while over 11.5 match corners pays 17/20 at McBookie.
With Celtic likely to be on the attack for most of the game, backing Dundee players for cards could pay off. Adam is the favourite in that market at 7/5 (William Hill) but I'm more drawn to the 15/8 on offer at the same firm for Ryan Sweeney to be carded.
This Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee will be played on Feb 20, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Dundee prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
