Last season began with rampant questioning from large portions of the Celtic support for then-new manager Ronny Deila, but the Norwegian gradually turned the tide on the way to winning the league and the Scottish League Cup to deliver a double. Needless to say, the fans are now behind Deila and expect him to win more trophies this season.
Celtic will open their league season with a home encounter against Ross County, and it is guaranteed that they will be well-prepared, having played three Champions League qualifiers. But Deila is under pressure to give the fans Champions League football, seeing as Rangers are no longer in the SPL to provide a more entertaining league. Celtic play FK Karabakh on Wednesday night and that could have an impact on the Bhoys as they began the defence of their league title.
Expectations
Celtic won 6-1 on aggregate over two legs against Stjarnan in their Champions League qualifier. During that time, they also won three friendlies and drew one. Deila also has a full season under his belt, which means that he is prepared enough to win his first league game of the season.
Ahead of the transfer window’s closure at the end of August, Celtic still have their star players. Virgil van Dijk is solid at the heart of the defence, captain Scott Brown offers a reassuring presence in midfield, and Leigh Griffiths is the club’s top league scorer from last season.
Ross County’s players walk out to approximately 6,500 home fans if they are extremely lucky, whereas Celtic routinely play in front of 60,000 fans. The comparisons between these two sides are polarising, especially when you also consider that Ross County finished in ninth last season, placing them near the bottom end of the table.
Match Tips
Tip one: Celtic to win to nil @ 1.70 with Betfair
Tip two: Total goals 2-3 @ 2.15 with Betfair
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Celtic winning this game will only be worth 1.16 when betting with Betfair, which is certainly on the low side. A more lucrative alternative would be to back Celtic winning to nil, or for the game to have two to three total goals.
