McDIARMID PARK has been a happy hunting ground for Celtic and they will be confident of seeing off St Johnstone in Perth to head into the international break on a high.
Celtic travel east in high spirits after reaching the Europa League groups, justifying the faith Mr Fixit put in both sides of the Old Firm in midweek, but now it's back to the battle for domestic supremacy.
This is the last Premiership fixture before the Old Firm derby so Neil Lennon's men will be desperate to avoid a slip-up – and the stats suggest they will claim another victory.
The Hoops have an excellent record at McDiarmid Park, winning the last six games there by a 17-0 aggregate score, so it would be a surprise if Callum Davidson's men got anything from this match.
Saints have netted just once in their last six games and are stuck at the wrong end of the table, level on points with rock-bottom St Mirren.
Fatigue could be an issue, with Celtic away from home in Europe in the past two midweeks, but Lennon has enough quality in his ranks to make a few changes and still come out on top.
How the bookies view it
It’s no surprise to see Neil Lennon’s men just 1-4 for the win at McBookie. St Johnstone are 11-1 for a shock win with Betfair while even the draw is 5-1 at Bet365.
With Saints struggling for goals, and Celtic keeping clean sheets in their last three games, the best value might be a Hoops win to nil at 10/11 with McBookie.
Recent head to head
Saints last beat Celtic at home back in 2016 and have lost their last eight meetings in Perth. The Hoops won all three clashes with St Johnstone last term, a 7-0 thrashing on day one followed by a 3-0 win in Perth (below) and a 1-0 Scottish Cup triumph.
Players to watch
Celtic have a few injury worries, with Albian Ajeti, James Forrest and Nir Bitton out. Star striker Odsonne Edouard has been out of sorts recently so I'm backing Mohamed Elyounoussi for a goal instead. The winger has been playing up top in a 3-5-2 and is 49/20 with 888sport for anytime scorer.
Michael O'Halloran's pace could give the likes of Shane Duffy and Kris Ajer a headache. The Saints forward is 17/2 with Paddy Power for a goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic struggled to create chances in Sarajevo and I'm expecting Saints to sit back and try to frustrate them. That lends appeal to the 23/20 on offer at BetVictor for under 2.5 match goals.
Betfred are offering evens on a header being scored and that's a good option, especially with Duffy posing a big threat for Celtic.
This Scottish Premiership match between St Johnstone and Celtic will be played on Oct 4, 2020 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best St Johnstone vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
