ST JOHNSTONE were Scotland's cup kings last season but this Hampden semi-final gives Celtic the chance to prove they're ready to reclaim the throne.
Callum Davidson's Saints have gone 12 knockout ties unbeaten after following up last term's incredible cup double with wins over Arbroath and Dundee in the Premier Sports Cup.
The National Stadium has become a home from home for the Perth club but this is the first time their fans will be back in the stadium with both finals last season played behind closed doors.
Most of the crowd will be decked in green and white, however, and the Hoops are heavy favourites after being reborn under new boss Ange Postecoglou.
Celtic's incredible run of 35 cup ties without defeat ended last season against Ross County in the last 16 of this competition and they finished a dismal campaign empty handed.
But Postecoglou has the fans believing again and the Parkhead side head into this semi-final in excellent form, going eight games unbeaten and winning seven of those matches.
One of those victories was a 2-0 Premiership triumph over St Johnstone at Parkhead, with our corners bet coming up agonisingly short, but Davidson's side are a different proposition in the cups.
How the bookies view it
Despite St Johnstone's incredible recent record in the cups they are rank outsiders here. SkyBet make them 8/1 for a win inside 90 minutes while McBookie price them at 4/1 to reach the final.
Celtic's best price for a win inside 90 minutes is just 2/5 with Unibet and McBookie make them 4/11 to go through to the showpiece.
Recent head to head
St Johnstone's recent record against the Hoops is dismal and the Parkhead side are unbeaten in the last 20 meetings. Saints did manage a 1-1 draw at Parkhead last season but 12 of the last 13 meetings have ended in victories for the Hoops, including that 2-0 triumph earlier this season (below).
Players to watch
David Turnbull looks due a goal for the Hoops, having gone six matches without scoring. The midfielder has seven for the season and could get back on track against Saints. He's 9/5 at McBookie for anytime scorer but the 14/5 on offer with the same firm for an assist might be better as he takes all the corners and free-kicks.
With Stevie May injured and Glenn Middleton a doubt, the burden for goals will fall on Chris Kane for Saints. He scored in massive cup ties against Rangers and St Mirren last term and is 10/3 with McBookie for another here.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic have been scoring for fun but chances were at a premium when they faced Saints at Parkhead. The game was still in the balance until a late penalty sealed that 2-0 victory and the Perth side will probably defend deep once more in a bid to frustrate Postecoglou's side.
That makes under 2.5 goals a good option at 13/12 with SBK while betting against BTTS is a bit shorter at 41/50 with Unibet. Another good option is most goals to come after the break and that pays 21/20 at Bet365.
There was a bit of needle in that Parkhead clash earlier in the season and Saints striker Kane was lucky to escape a red card for raising his hands to Cameron Carter-Vickers. That could boil over into this semi-final and I like the look of over 3.5 cards at 21/20 with McBookie.
This Scottish League Cup match between Celtic and St Johnstone will be played on Nov 20, 2021 and kick off at 17:15. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs St Johnstone prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
