Rodgers' Easter Road Hoodoo

Rodgers' Easter Road Hoodoo
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


December: Alistair Johnston in action during the 4-1 victory when these sides last met


Easter Road, Edinburgh
Wednesday, 7 February 2024
20.00 GMT

The Hoops are once again on the road as they travel through to the Capital on Wednesday, to take on Hibernian at Easter Road.

Criticism of the manager and the club's executives continued after the team dropped more points at the weekend, in the 1-1 draw against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

The Celts failed to capitalize after dominating in the first half, only to be caught out after the break with the Bhoys going behind. Fortunately debutante Nicolas Kuhn's deflected effort was enough to secure a share of the spoils, but Celtic's slender advantage in the race for the Premiership has been cut.

As fortune would have it, the Hoops next game is against 7th placed Hibernian, who Celtic defeated 4-1 in their last meeting, back in December at Parkhead.


New Bhoy Nicolas Kuhn's deflected shot rescued a point for Celtic in the 1-1 draw with Aberdeen

At Easter Road however, it's a very different story, with Celtic having won just twice there in the League since the Capital side returned to the Premiership in 2017, with Ange Postecoglou responsible for both of those victories, making this one of the most difficult and awkward 'away' days that the Hoops face on the domestic stage.

As for Brendan Rodgers' personal record, it is enough to give any fan cause for concern going into this game, with 2 draws and 2 losses from his 4 previous visits.

The Irishman's first attempt came in December 2017, when a Scott Sinclair brace seemingly had the Celts on course before the hosts rallied to finish 2-2. Later that same season, Odsonne Edouard's late consolation could only provide respectibility, as the Brendan's Bhoys went down 2-1, in April 2018.

The 2018/19 season did not fare any better for the manager, when in December they found themselves playing from behind from the very first minute, as the Hibees proved comfortable 2-0 victors against a toothless Celtic.

It was another all too familiar frustrating tale for Rodgers' return earlier this season, back in October. Despite the Celts having more than 70% possession, they could muster only 4 shots on target, as the sides played out an underwhelming 0-0 draw.

No doubt something the manager will be desperate to rectify this on Wednesday.


Rodgers' Hoodoo Begins: Scott Sinclair scores twice in a game that finished 2-2 in December 2017

As for Nick Montgomery's side, things have been far from smooth sailing either.

The Leith side have only managed to win once in 2024 - and that was a 1-0 win against League Two side, Forfar Athletic in the Scottish Cup. In fact. their last league win came just 3 days after these sides last met back in early December, when they defeated bottom club Livingston. 1-0.

Since then, they've picked up just 2 points from their last 6 league outings, which has seen them overtaken by Hearts, Kilmarnock and Dundee, and slipping from 4th down to 7th in the Premiership.

Hibernian have long had a reputation as a side that is wildly inconsistent, capable of both the fantastical and the farcical. It was a case pf the latter at the weekend, as St Mirren dished out a 3-0 hammering of the hosts.

As such, Montgomery will no doubt be feeling the same pressure to get a positive result on Wednesday, every bit as much as Rodgers will be, as the title race tightens.

Stats & Facts​

• Since the Hibees' promotion back to the Premiership in 2017, the Bhoys have won 11 of the past 23 league meetings (P23 W11 D9 L3).

• However, only 2 of those 11 wins have come at Easter Road (P12 W2 D7 L3).

• Scoring first is key against the Edinburgh side this season. They are undefeated in the league when they've scored first (SF10 W6 D4 L0).

• This point is further emphasized as Hibs are yet to win after conceding first, having lost 9 (CF11 W0 D2 L9).

Oh no, no Oh! The striker scored twice in the 4-0 win in Devember, but is still away at the Asian Cup

Team News

Celtic will continue without a number of key players once again, including defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers (hamstring) and Greg Taylor (calf), while Reo Hatate's most recent calf injury while away on International duty is likely to keep him sidelined for at least a month.

Meanwhile, South Korean pair Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu are still away as they continue to be involved at the Asian Cup, however Daizen Maeda could return following Japan's elimination.

As for Nick Montgomery's side, they will continue to be without Rocky Bushiri, who is still away at the African Cup of Nations, however both Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller could once again be available after Australia were knocked out of the Asian Cup on Friday.

Referee: Nick Walsh

Celtic have won each of their last 10 games (9 League, 1 League Cup) when Walsh has been the referee, including two Glasgow derby games and three against Hearts. Walsh has previously taken charge of two games between these clubs - both of which resulted in draws, in 2019 and 2021.

Celtic Overall Record with Walsh
M: 32 W: 27 D: 4 L: 1

VAR: Andrew Dallas


~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 320 W: 183 D: 82 L: 55​

Last 5 Meetings
W D L W W

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

All Comps
D W W W W ~ L D L W D

SPFL
D W W W W ~ L D L D L​