KILMARNOCK have been a bogey team for Celtic this season and the Hoops can ill afford another defeat at the hands of the Rugby Park side in a tense SPFL Premiership title race with rivals Rangers.
Philippe Clement's Gers moved level on points with the Hoops at the summit with a midweek win over Ross County at Ibrox and their fightback in the race for the crown can be traced back to Celtic's defeat at Rugby Park in early December.
Having already been knocked out of the League Cup on Killie's plastic pitch, Brendan Rodgers' side slipped up again as they turned a 1-0 half-time lead into a 2-1 defeat.
That was followed by a home defeat by Hearts in Celtic's next Premiership fixture, opening the door for Rangers to cut what had looked like an insurmountable lead when Clement took over with the Hoops boasting a seven-point advantage.
Celtic have won eight and drawn one since that defeat to the Jambos, with that run including a vital Old Firm victory, but performances have been patchy. Injuries to key players, particularly in defence, haven't helped so Kilmarnock will fancy their chances of upsetting the champions again.
After consolidating in the Premiership last season following promotion, Killie are pushing on this term, with manager Derek McInnes being backed by the board.
The former Aberdeen boss has made some shrewd signings and Kilmarnock sit in fourth place heading to Celtic Park, with a place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals also in the bag.
The only defeat in the last 12 games has come at Ibrox so Celtic will need to be at their best to emerge with another three precious Premiership points.
How the bookies view it
Despite their hugely impressive run of results, Kilmarnock are still rank outsiders for a Parkhead win at a whopping 14/1 with Paddy Power. Even the draw is pretty hefty at 6/1 with the same firm while Celtic's best price is just 2/9 at Unibet.
Recent head to head
Celtic have slipped up twice at Rugby Park this season but claimed a 3-1 win at home in between those two fixtures. The Hoops have won eight in a row against Kilmarnock since a couple of Parkhead draws in season 2017/18.
Players to watch
Rodgers tweaked his system a little last weekend with striker Kyogo Furuhashi operating in a role behind new loan signing Adam Idah. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with that system here against a Kilmarnock side who will probably defend deep and look to hit on the counter attack. Kyogo scored last weekend and appeals at 6/5 for another goal with Paddy Power, providing he starts.
Danny Armstrong was superb in Kilmarnock's win over Celtic at Rugby Park and will fancy his chances up against stand-in Celtic left-back Alexandro Bernabei. The winger is a tempting 11/1 with Bet365 for a goal but an assist is more likely once that market is priced up.
Anything else catch the eye?
Betting on BTTS failed to pay off for me last weekend in Celtic's cup win at St Mirren but their clean sheet was as much down to good luck as good defending, with the Buddies creating plenty of chances. Kilmarnock have scored in all three meetings with the Hoops this season so going for BTTS here at 11/10 with Betfred, especially with Celtic missing so many key defenders.
Going for corners has profitable all season with Rodgers' side and that helped me cash in last weekend, although it was St Mirren who did most of the heavy lifting as they won 11 of the 15 flag kicks. Backing over 11.5 corners pays 26/25 here with Unibet and that bet has landed in five of the last six Celtic games.
Rodgers' side should have most of the pressure so backing Kilmarnock -1 in the card handicap could pay off at 13/10 with Bet365.
This Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Kilmarnock will be played on Feb 17, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Kilmarnock prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
Killie a corner both halves 10/11. WH.