CELTIC will set out to make it 10 Scottish Premiership wins on the trot when they take on Livingston at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
Ange Postecoglou's side resumed their title defence with a hard-fought, yet ultimately well-deserved 1-0 over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday.
That Granite City success saw the reigning champions restore their nine point lead over Old Firm rivals Rangers at the the top of the table in the process.
Now all focus will turn to their midweek meeting with Livingston, where another victory would see the Hoops tighten their stranglehold at the summit of the Scottish Premiership standings.
As for Livingston, they continue to defy the odds under David Martindale’s astute management, as they currently occupy a place in the top-six having picked up 23 points from 15 matches played.
Having been out of competitive action for over a month following Saturday's postponement with Dundee United, the Lions could hardly have asked for a tougher test to recommence their campaign with.
Outright Betting
Celtic, who have claimed top honours in each of their last nine Scottish Premiership home matches, unsurprisingly enter this contest as short-priced 1/8 (Boylesports) favourites.
Livingston's last defeat in the Scottish top-flight came against Celtic in October's reverse fixture and the bookies' odds suggest they will suffer a similar fate here, with the team from the Tony Macaroni a towering 28/1 (Ladbrokes) while the Celtic Park stalemate is also deemed unlikely at 9/1 (Bet 365).
Betting Angles
It's a case of having to get creative to eke out a decent price on a home success here so I'll head to the Bet Builder market and merge Celtic to win, under six match goals and over one Livingston card at 4/5 (Bet 365).
As already alluded to, Celtic have triumphed in each of their last nine Scottish top-flight assignments, not to mention Ange Postecoglou has not tasted defeat on home turf in a league game since taking the reins having steered his side to a sizeable 23 wins from 26 home games.
While Livingston are a hard-working and well-organised outfit who never go down without a fight, I suspect Celtic's irresistible domestic form will come to the fore again this midweek in a game featuring under six match goals.
Granted, the Bhoys are capable of blowing teams away, but it's worth pointing out that 11 of their 15 Scottish Premiership wins this season have generated less than six strikes and I'm prepared to side with a repeat here when faced with a Livingston side that will look to sit deep and soak up pressure.
As such, I'm happy to back the Hoops win and under six goals, but to bump up the price, I'll also go with Livingston to receive two or more cards during this contest – something David Martindale's' battle-hardened side have managed in each of their previous three meetings with either half of the Old Firm this season so far.
It's also worth noting that the above-mentioned Bet Builder would have paid out in five of Celtic's seven Scottish Premiership home wins this season to date and that only adds to the appeal of supporting the same play at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
One Livingston player who could be worth considering to have his name taken on Wednesday night is Sean Kelly who has been priced up at 7/2 with William Hill.
The Lions utility man is not exactly renowned for being a card magnet but he has been cautioned in two of his three outings against either Celtic or Rangers this term so he could be worthy of a small interest at a nice price to go into the referee Euan Anderson's notebook.
This Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston will be played on Dec 21, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Livingston prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
