Celts Take on Paisley Saints

Celts Take on Paisley Saints
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


May: Greg Taylor in action during the 3-2 win against St Mirren when these sides last met


SMiSA Stadium, Paisley
Sunday, 25 August 2024
12.00 BST

Brendan Rodgers' Bhoys return to Premiership action tomorrow, when they make the short trip to Paisley to take on Stephen Robunson's St Mirren.

The Bhoys are coming off back to back wins over Hibs in both the league and League Cup over the past few weeks and will be looking to continue their current 8 League games winning streak, dating back to the beginning of April.​

And while they have hit the ground running this season, there are challenges in store for the Hoops in the weeks and months ahead, beginning tomorrow when they make the short journey to Paisley to take on the Buddies.


Daizen at the Double: Maeda was deservedly Man of the Match against Hibs last week

St Mirren started the season in optimistic form, having progressed through their first taste of competitive European action in close to 40 years in style, followed by a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Hibs on the opening day of the League season, earlier this month.

Since then however, things have not gone so well, with the hosts now coming into this game on the back of 3 consecutive losses across 3 different competitions.

Defeat in the league at the hands of Aberdeen was followed by their elimination from the UEFA Conference League by Norwegian side, Brann, have been compounded by being knocked out of the League Cup by Dundee United.

So the Buddies will be wanting to get their season back on track after this recent run of results, and while Celtic did dominate this matchup last season, Saints have proven that they can be a tricky proposition at times, in recent years and not to be taken for granted.


Matt O'Riley scored against St Mirren in May. The Dane may've played his last game for Celtic

In fact, the last time that these sides met was the final league game of last season, back in May, when the Paisley side almost gatecrashed the party ahead of the Premiership trophy presentation, with the Bhoys having to twice battle back from being behind before securing a late 3-2 victory.

Considering their recent run of form however, Stephen Robinson's side will be desperate to start righting that ship, but if the Hoops are fully prepared and switched on and can put aside the distractions of any potential transfer activity, then Celtic should prove to have the quality needed to secure the 3 points, which even this early in the season cannot afford any needless slip ups.

By the Numbers​

• The Hoops are undefeated in the past 9 encounters (W8 D1) against St Mirren, including winning all 5 meetings last season.

• Celtic are hunting a 20th consecutive undefeated result since the beginning of March overall (W17 D3), which currently includes 8 straight league wins.

• In that same period since the start of March, St Mirren have won just two of their past 11 games in the league.

Kasper Schmeichal has kept clean sheets in his first two Premiership outings for Celtic

Team News

Brendan Rodgers will have some tough decisions to make - not least of which who will lead the line in attack. Daizen Maeda was terrific last week as he played in a central role, but with the arrival of Adam Idah in addition to Kyogo Furuhashi also set to resume, there are plenty of options available.

Elsewhere, influential Matt O'Riley may have made his final Celtic appearance, which could open the door for Paulo Bernardo to make his first league start since his permanant switch this summer, but Maik Nawrocki (calf) and Mikey Johnston (facial) are both sidelined through injury.​

As for the hosts, they will be hopeful that Mark O'Hara may be available again, after missing these past couple of weeks with a thigh problem, and it remains to be seen if Killian Phillips will feature, after the Irish midfielder's arrival on Thursday. However Greg Kiltie, Connor McMenamin remain sidelined, and there is a question over both Caolan Boyd-Munce and Dennis Adeniran.

Referee: Chris Graham

Since his debut in April 2022, the 34 y.o. has officiated 22 Premiership matches. This will be just the 2nd time Graham will take charge of a game involving Celtic - the only previous being in the Scottish Cup, 5-0 win against Buckie Thistle, back in January.

Celtic Overall Record with this Referee
M:1 W:1 D:0 L:0

VAR: Steven McLean



~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 269 W: 187 D: 48 L: 34​

Last 5 Meetings
W W W W W

~~~~ 2022/23 Form ~~~~

All Comps
W W W ~ L L L W D

SPFL
W W ~ L W​