THE return of the feelgood factor lasted less than a week at Celtic and Brendan Rodgers heads into this Scottish Cup quarter-final with Livingston knowing defeat would pile the pressure back on.
After smashing seven goals past Dundee in a midweek fixture, Hoops fans were on an even bigger high last Saturday when rivals Rangers lost at home to Motherwell, opening the door for Celtic to return to the SPFL Premiership summit.
But Rodgers' side failed to take advantage a day later at Tynecastle, crashing to a 2-0 loss on a day when pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
Adam Idah blew the chance to fire them ahead early on with a missed penalty then moments later in-form winger Yang Hyun-jun was sent off for a high boot after a VAR review.
The video ref then intervened again to hand Hearts a controversial penalty opener and Celtic's 10 men were then killed off, with a frustrated Alistair Johnston brining up a 5/1 card bet for me late in the game.
The title race is now parked for a while as attention turns to the Scottish Cup and Livingston will be hoping the competition can provide more cheer for them in an otherwise bleak season.
The Lions sit bottom of the Premiership after a dismal run of form that has seen them win just once in the league since early October. But they have been showing plenty of fight in the Scottish Cup, twice coming from behind to beat dangerous Championship sides Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle.
David Martindale will be hoping his side can now deliver a knockout blow to the Scottish Cup holders but it would be a major surprise if they dumped Celtic out at Parkhead.
How the bookies view it
Livingston have been written off with SkyBet pricing them at 16/1 to reach the semi-finals and the odds increasing to 25/1 for a win inside 90 minutes. Celtic are just 1/25 at Bet365 to go through and 1/9 with the same firm to finish the job without extra-time or penalties. The draw at 90 minutes pays 10/1 at QuinnBet.
Recent head to head
Livingston have been a thorn in Celtic's side since their return to the Premiership but it has been a while since they last tripped the Hoops up. After a 1-0 win and 0-0 draw in Ange Postecoglou's first season as Hoops boss, the Lions have lost six in a row in this fixture. Celtic won 3-0 in West Lothian with 10 men in September then followed it up with a 2-0 triumph at Parkhead just before Christmas.
Players to watch
Celtic's strikers are all odds-on for a goal so it's better looking to their wide men in the anytime scorer market. With Yang suspended I'd imagine Luis Palma will come back in and his trickery and long-range shooting could be handy weapons against a Livingston side who will probably defend deep. The Honduran is 13/8 with Bet365 for a goal and could also be worth a punt for an assist once that market is priced up.
Tete Yengi has been a shrewd signing for the Livingston, with the Australian netting four times since his January arrival. He could cause Celtic's defence a few problems and is 13/2 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic have conceded in their last four matches but Livingston have drawn a blank in both their games against the Hoops this season. That's why the bookies are banking on a Celtic win to win, which is a best 8/11 with Bet365. I like the look of a Celtic win with under 3.5 goals at 13/10 with the same firm as that bet has landed in both meetings this term.
Corners are usually the safest option with Rodgers' side and another bet landed for me last weekend at Tynecastle. Every domestic game at Parkhead has hit double figures on that count with the exception of the derby win over Rangers. It ended 14-0 to the Hoops when Livingston last came calling so Celtic -8 in the corner handicap could be worth a punt at 29/20 with Unibet. Over 11.5 match corners is probably a better shout at evens with the same firm.
With VAR casting a dark shadow again and Livingston likely to defend in their box for spells, betting on a penalty being awarded could pay off and that's priced evens at Paddy Power.
This Scottish Cup match between Celtic and Livingston will be played on Mar 10, 2024 and kick off at 14:30. 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.
