Hibernian vs Celtic

Hibernian vs Celtic Preview

Easter Road on a Sunday lunchtime, bottom of the table against top, a new manager trying to stop the rot against a club legend under serious pressure — this one has got more layers to it than your average Premiership fixture. Hibernian are in a genuinely desperate spot right now. Seven, eight points from nine games, a managerial change already done and dusted, and a home ground that’s become something close to a haunted house for them. Marink Reedijk has walked into a real mess, and Celtic are about the worst possible opponent to be handed when you’re trying to find your feet.

Celtic, though, are not the rampaging force they might have been a month ago. Martin O’Neill’s side are wobbling in a way that nobody quite predicted when the season kicked off. The European campaign has been a disaster — three losses from three in the Europa League, a stunning Champions League collapse against LASK Linz where they somehow turned a four-goal lead into an aggregate exit — and Rangers have beaten them twice in quick succession. The pressure is building. O’Neill needs a comfortable afternoon at Easter Road to buy himself some breathing room, and Celtic’s league form tells you they ought to get it. But football doesn’t always care what the form table says.

For Hibernian, this is about pride as much as points. A home crowd that’s grown increasingly frustrated, a new manager who needs his first win, and a Celtic side that, for all their recent struggles, still represent a genuine test of character. Reedijk will want to see signs of fight. Whether he gets the result is another question entirely.

Hibernian vs Celtic Form

Hibs actually started the season with a bit of a buzz. Back-to-back wins in their opening couple of games, including a brilliant 2-1 victory over Rangers with Callum Wright nicking it in the 93rd minute — the kind of result that gets a fan base genuinely excited. But that optimism evaporated quickly. Three straight league defeats followed, the Conference League dream ended before it really started, and David Gray paid the price. What’s made it worse is the form at Easter Road specifically — six consecutive Scottish Premiership defeats on home soil stretching back into last season. That is a deeply unsettling statistic for any club.

Interim boss John Potter at least managed to stop the bleeding with a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen, but Reedijk has lost both of his opening matches — 1-0 to Dundee United and 2-1 to Falkirk. That Falkirk defeat stings. Nine goals scored in the league this season, joint-lowest in the division, and just four of those coming across the last six games. This is a team that is genuinely struggling to create, let alone convert. Martin Boyle is doing his best up front with three league goals, but he’s getting precious little support around him.

Celtic’s Premiership form is still exceptional on paper — eight wins from nine, 23 goals scored, only five conceded, four points clear at the top. That’s title-winning form. But strip the league results away and you’re looking at a team that has lost five of their last seven in all competitions. The Europa League has been humbling, the Old Firm defeats have stung, and the manner of the LASK collapse will take time to forget. There’s anxiety around Parkhead that wasn’t there at the start of the campaign. O’Neill’s men need the kind of performance today that reminds everyone — including themselves — why they’re top of the Premiership.

Hibernian vs Celtic Head to Head

The head-to-head record at Easter Road is not kind to Hibs. Celtic have won four, drawn one and lost just one of their last six visits to this ground — a sequence that tells you everything about the gap between these two clubs at the moment. When Celtic come to Leith, they tend to leave with the points. The one defeat in that run gives Hibernian supporters something to cling to, but it feels more like an outlier than evidence of genuine competitiveness between the sides.

Historically, Hibernian have had their moments against Celtic, and Easter Road can generate an atmosphere that unsettles visiting sides. But right now, Hibs are not the team capable of producing those upsets on a consistent basis. Celtic will have looked at this fixture when the schedule came out and seen it as three points. The head-to-head backs that view up.

Hibernian vs Celtic Lineups

Reedijk is already working with a compromised squad. Callum Wright — who scored that late winner against Rangers earlier in the season — is out injured, alongside Nathan Lowe, Kanayochukwu Megwa, Jordan Obita and Rocky Bushiri. That is a significant chunk of the squad missing, and it limits Reedijk’s options considerably. Boyle leads the line and will need to be at his very best to cause Celtic any problems. McGrath, Klidje and Elding should support him, with a back four of Passlack, Kerr, Ivezic and Mayor behind them. It’s a lineup that looks threadbare in places and will need to be organised and disciplined to keep the scoreline manageable.

Celtic are also carrying injury concerns, with Yang Hyun-Jun out and Johnston, Carter-Vickers and Osmand all doubts. That could see James Forrest come into the right wing position, with Donovan and Murray holding their spots in the back four alongside Scales and Tierney. The uncertainty at the back is worth noting — Carter-Vickers has been a key figure for Celtic defensively, and his absence, if confirmed, would weaken them. Still, even a slightly patched-up Celtic squad represents far more quality than Hibernian can put out today.

Hibernian vs Celtic Tactics

Reedijk will almost certainly set up to be hard to beat first and foremost. With the attacking firepower Hibs have available — and the amount of bodies missing — going toe-to-toe with Celtic would be suicidal. Expect a low defensive block, compact lines, and an attempt to stay in the game for as long as possible. If Boyle can get on the ball in transition and cause Celtic’s backline problems with his pace and directness, there might be a moment or two. But the game plan will be defensive by necessity, not choice.

Celtic should have enough quality to break that down. O’Neill will want his side to move the ball quickly, stretch Hibernian’s shape with width, and look to get runners into the box. The concern is whether the creativity in midfield is sharp enough on the day, given the inconsistency they’ve shown in recent weeks. If Celtic are at their clinical best — the version that has put 23 goals past Premiership defences already — this could get ugly for Hibs. If they’re off the pace, as they have been in European football, it could be a scrappy, frustrating afternoon. The talent is there to win comfortably. Whether the mentality is right after a bruising few weeks is the real question.

Hibernian vs Celtic Prediction and Betting Tips

Celtic are the overwhelming favourites here and rightly so. Their Premiership form has been near-perfect despite everything going wrong in Europe, and they are visiting a Hibernian side that is low on confidence, low on goals and missing key players. Reedijk will organise them, but there is only so much organisation can do against a Celtic side that has found the net 23 times in nine league games. The handicap market appeals here — Celtic to win by two or more goals is a realistic outcome given the gap in quality and Hibs’ inability to score consistently. Back Celtic on the -1 handicap.

The injury concerns in Celtic’s defence add a small element of uncertainty, and Hibs’ home support could drag them through the opening exchanges. But the class difference is too significant to ignore over 90 minutes. Celtic need a statement result, and this looks like the fixture to get it.