CELTIC made Europe sit up with arguably their best Champions League display since they put Barcelona to the sword after a superb win against RB Leipzig in midweek.
Now they must adapt to playing Kilmarnock in one of their least favourite venues,
Brendan Rodgers' side are on the crest of a wave after two outstanding performances in a row. They crushed in-form Aberdeen in the semi-final of the Premier Sports semi-final in a 6-0 rout at Hampden.
But it's Europe where they will really be judged and it wasn't just the 3-1 win over Leipzig, it was the hugely impressive manner they outplayed the Bundesliga's second placed team.
There will be very few teams in Europe who would relish meeting Celtic at Parkhead at that form.
However, they have had their fair share of problems in Ayrshire down the years on the artificial surface of Rugby Park and Killie have improved after a very slow start to the season.
They will be annoyed at tossing away a two goal lead to lose at Dundee last week, but they defeated Rangers at home the other week and Derek McInnes'side do most of their best work there.
How the bookies view it: Killie huge underdogs
With Celtic hovering at around 1/3 with bet365, William Hill and Ladbrokes, Kilmarnock can be backed at 8/1 with Paddy Power. The draw is 9/2 with bet365.
Recent head to heads
Celtic eased to a 4-0 win in Glasgow in their only meeting so far this season, but Killie twice defeated Celtic last season at Rugby Park in the league and League Cup. However, Celtic did clinch the title with a 5-0 win there in May.
Players to watch: Kuhn to cull Killie?
Nicolas Kuhn was the undoubted star of the show in midweek with a double against his former club and countrymen and he's enjoyed an outstanding season. He is 15/8 to cap a perfect week with another goal with bet365.
Killie should have key striker Marley Watkins back after a knock kept him out last week and he netted the only goal against Rangers the other week. He is 23/4 to score anytime with UniBet.
Predicted line-ups:
Kilmarnock are without injured trio Stuart Findlay,, Liam Polworth and Kyle Magennis
Celtic may make a few changes with the artificial surface and schedule but they are injury free.
Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Mayo, Wright, Deas, Ndaba, Armstrong, Lyons, Watson, Kennedy, Vassell, Watkins.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Scales, Trusty, Valle, McGregor, Hatate, Bernardo, Kuhn, Idah, Maeda.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic are absolutely flying at the moment and Killie could not pick a worst time to play them. However, they can at least take a glimmer of hope because they have caused them problems before.
But realistically this could be about damage limitation especially as Killie's defending has not been great and they are without Stuart Findlay who is probably their best stopper.
It's a question of getting onside for a Celtic win that could be comprehensive. Given they have just scored nine goals in their last two games against the second best teams in Scotland and Germany, they really should be netting three in Ayrshire and they have to be backed at 11/10 to do just that with William Hill.
An interesting aside is that Kilmarnock have managed just one corner in each of their past two games against Dundee and Hearts. Celtic managed ten in their last away game at Motherwell. Back the Hoops minus four on the corners handicap with bet365 at a solid 10/11.
This Scottish Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Celtic will be played on Nov 10, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Kilmarnock vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
