Celtic v Dunfermline
Celtic

Celtic vs Dunfermline Athletic

, KO: 15:00 , Hampden
Dunfermline Athletic

Martin O'Neill has salvaged Celtic's season and now has the chance to end in it style by leading them to the Double with a win over Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup Final.

The Hoops looked a dispirited and disconsolate bunch when O'Neill returned for a second stint as interim boss after Wilfried's Nancy nightmare 33-day reign.

But he kept them on the heels of surprise Premiership leaders Hearts and reeled off seven successive Premiership wins to get Celtic over the line.

Saturday's thrilling 3-1 victory over the Jambos, which brought up two bets for me, sealed the title and exorcised the ghosts of 2005, when O'Neill let the championship slip through his fingers on the final day before standing down as boss first time around.

His last game in charge back then was a Scottish Cup Final win over Dundee United and this clash with Dunfermline could also signal the end of his emotional return.

Neil Lennon played for O'Neill in that win over United but now finds himself going up against his old gaffer as manager of the Pars.

The Championship side have claimed three top-flight scalps already on the road to Hampden and will be looking to spring the biggest shock of all in the showpiece.

How the bookies view it: Hoops hot favourites

With Celtic on a run of eight consecutive wins in all competitions it's no surprise to see them as 1/9 favourites to lift the trophy, with Dunfermline 7/1 in the same market.

Backing the Pars to win in normal time boosts those odds to 12/1 at StarSports while the Hoops are a best 1/4 at 10Bet. The draw at 90 minutes pays 11/2 with Betway.

Players to watch: Happy Daiz

Celtic's title success owed a lot to Daizen Maeda hitting a rich vein of form, with his crucial late goal against Hearts making it eight in six games. This will probably be his last match for the club and he's a decent 27/20 at BetMGM to mark it with another strike. Most other firms have him at evens.

Young striker Andrew Tod has come of age for Dunfermline this season, netting 16 times. His pace and energy could cause problems for Celtic and the 20-year-old is 19/4 at StarSports to score.

Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.

Probable line-ups

Celtic's line-up has been picking itself in recent weeks. The only issue for O'Neill is whether to stick with under-performing winger Sebastian Tounekti or drop him for either Luke McCowan or Kelechi Iheanacho.

Zak Rudden and Freddie Turley have lost their fitness battles for the Pars, who will also be without Graham Carey and Ewan Otoo. But keeper Aston Oxborough is available again after missing the play-off defeat by Partick Thistle.

Celtic: Sinisalo, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Engels, Nygren, Tounetki, Yang, Maeda.

Dunfermline: Oxborough, Chilokoa-Mullen, Ngwenya, Fraser, Gilmour, M Todd, Amade, Abdulai, Morrison, Kane, A Tod.

Anything else catch the eye?

Dunfermline blew Aberdeen away with a 3-0 victory in the quarter-finals but were more pragmatic in their wins over Hibs and Falkirk, with only one goal scored across those two games.

I've a feeling Lennon will set up to frustrate in this one so I'm going to combine a Celtic win with under 3/5 goals at 6/5 with Bet365.

The corner count for the Hoops could also rack up if the Pars do park the bus and I like over five first-half corners at 21/20 with the same firm.

Celtic vs Dunfermline Athletic Betting Tips & Predictions
Daizen Maeda anytime scorer
Evens
PaddyPower
Celtic win and under 3.5 goals
6/5
Bet365
Over five first-half corners
21/20
Bet365
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