Hoops Homecoming as Champions

Hoops Homecoming as Champions
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


Champions Again! The Bhoys celebrate clinching the League title at Rugby Park in midweek


Celtic Park, Glasgow
Saturday, 18 May 2024
12.30 BST

Champions!

Three in a row. For the 12th time in 13 Seasons. 54 times overall.

Champions Again!

The Hoops return to Paradise for the final League game of the season, where they will be hailed as Champions of Scotland once again, as they host St Mirren this weekend.

While the home support will be in a celebratory mood ahead of the trophy presentation, there is the small matter of a football match to be played.

The Bhoys will be looking to keep their current form and winning streak going, both to sign off the Premiership campaign in the best possible way and to keep their momentum going, ahead of next weekend's Scottish Cup Final.

The Celts clinched the Premiership title in midweek in the most comprehensive manner possible, with an emphatic 5-0 win over Kilmarnock, who up until this point had been such a thorn in the side. So it was a significant win in more than one way.​

April: Reo Hatate scored the first goal in the 3-0 win when these sides last met

Similiar to Kilmarnock through the week, St Mirren have had a season that they deserves recognition, never once dipping below the top 5 throught the course of the entire season.

Indeed, since taking over the Paisley club in February 2022, Stephen Robinson has lead the Buddies to back to back top 6 finishes in the top flight for the first time in 40 years, and further, have qualified for their first taste of European Football since 1987.

That said, St Mirren's results has significantly dropped off over the past couple of months, having picked up just 5 points over their past 8 league games, which considering their status as a top 5 team underlines how well they had done prior to that, in order to accomodate this late dip in form.

With the title secured and a capacity Paradise eager to get the party started, the Bhoys will want to put on a show to close out what has been a difficult campaign, given all the issues and hurdles they've had to overcome.

But overcome them all they have, and the triumph will echo with the roar that greets Callum McGregor, the moment the skipper lifts the Premiership trophy for a 3rd time in as many seasons.

Champions again! Champions for the 54th time!

By the Numbers​

• The Hoops have won all four previous encounters (3 LG, 1 SC) against St Mirren this season.

• The Bhoys could complete a clean sweep of victories against St Mirren for the first time since 2019/20.

• Celtic are undefeated by St Mirren since September 2022 (W7 D1).

• The Buddies have won just twice away from Paisley in 2024.

Joe Hart leads the celebrations as the Bhoys clinched the Premiership title in midweek

Team News

Brendan Rodgers once again has close to a full squad to choose from, with the only injury question mark being the status of Yang Hyun-Jun's foot problem, while goalkeeper Joe Hart will be making his final appearance at Celtic Park ahead of his retirement.

That said, the manager may look to rest some of his key players ahead of the Cup Final, which could provide an opportunity to give some of the fringe players in the squad the chance to impress.​

As for the visitors, they will be without Kwon Hyeok-kyu, as the on-loan midfielder cannot feature against his parent club (also has a hamstring problem) in addition to Jonah Ayunga (knee).

Referee: Matthew MacDermid

Since his debut in May 2022, the 31 y.o. has officiated 28 Premiership matches. This will be the 4th time officiating Celtic - all of which have come this season.

Celtic Overall Record with this Referee
M:4 W:3 D:1 L:0

VAR: Kevin Clancy



~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 268 W: 186 D: 48 L: 34​

Last 5 Meetings
W W W W D

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

All Comps
W W W W D(w) ~ D L W L L

SPFL
W W W W W ~ D L W L L​