Back Celtic to win high-scoring encounter with Hearts
After their European heroics of Tuesday night, Neil Lennon's men return to SPL action looking to defend top-spot against struggling Jambos.
After hitting top spot in the SPL last Saturday, picking up their first away win in the Champions League since 1986 on Tuesday night and then celebrating Fraser Forster’s first call up to the England squad on Thursday, it’s fair to say that it’s been a pretty good week for Neil Lennon and his team.
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The Hoops saw their odds of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League fall to just 2/1 following Tuesday’s brilliant 3-2 win in Moscow but, for now at least, they must turn all their focus back to league duty as they face a tricky home match against Hearts on Sunday.
With Rangers no longer in the SPL, John McGlynn’s side were many people’s tips to be Celtic’s closest title rivals this season. Having beating Lennon’s side on their way to winning the Scottish Cup in May and having also beaten them in the SPL last season, Scotland’s self-styled third force looked like good bets to be challenging up near the top of the table come 2013.
| Club Friendlies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic win | £48.00 | (7/5) | ||
| Draw | £70.00 | (5/2) | ||
| Mönchengladbach win | £49.00 | (29/20) | ||
In reality, however, it has panned out quite differently.
The Jam Tarts have suffered a stuttering start to the campaign, winning just two of their eight games and languishing in eighth position in the SPL table. They are already five points behind leaders Celtic having played a game more and could find themselves eight behind by Sunday evening unless they can pick up an unlikely victory at Celtic Park – their first there in the league since 2007.
In contrast, Celtic have won ten of their 14 matches in all competitions this season, including their last four consecutively. They thumped the Tynecastle club 5-0 on their last visit to Parkhead in May, and they haven’t conceded a goal against them in the SPL for the last three games.
Celtic are 19/20 to win this one to nil, while they are 10/1 to repeat May’s 5-0 scoreline and 83/100 to be winning at both halftime and full-time.
There have been three or more goals in six of the last nine meetings between the sides, and backing Celtic to win on Sunday with more than 2.5 goals in the game is priced at evens, allowing you to double your money.
New customers to bwin who sign up online qualify for a free £20 bet and using that to back Celtic to win with more than 2.5 goals in the game will return £40 if successful.
In the 3-way betting market Celtic’s Euro heroes are 3/10 to take all three points, while McGlynn’s strugglers are 29/4 and the draw is 15/4.
Recommended bet: Celtic to win with more than 2.5 goals in the game @ evens
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