Celtic vs Livingston: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Celtic will hope to relieve pressure from fans following at 2-0 defeat to Hearts at the weekend as they welcome the league’s bottom side Livingston in the Scottish Cup Quarter-Final on Sunday.
Kick-off is set for 2:30pm local time at Celtic Park.
Recent Form
Celtic come into the tie under pressure after witnessing Rangers assume the lead in the Scottish Premier League. Livingston meanwhile will be looking to snatch a surprise victory to help boost morale as their relegation battle continues.
The home side started the season well before hitting a bump in December with consecutive losses to Kilmarnock (2-1) and Hearts (2-0). Brendan Rodgers' side have struggled for form since, and despite signs of promise in a 7-1 win over Dundee last week, the Hoops were brought back to earth with a 2-0 defeat at Hearts last time out.
Celtic have however been superb in the Scottish Cup so far. A 5-0 win over Buckie Thistle was followed by a 2-0 victory against St. Mirren to reach the quarter-finals.
The draws for both the @scottishgas Men's and Women's Scottish Cup Semi-Finals will take place on Monday evening, live on @BBCScotland.
— Scottish Gas Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) March 6, 2024
The Women's ties will be drawn at half time of the match between @Morton_FC and @JamTarts, while the Men's ties will be drawn at full time. pic.twitter.com/WEKz5Jw2G0
Livingston meanwhile have been punching above their weight since securing promotion to the top division in 2018. Their financial constraints look to have caught up with them however, with David Martindale's side sitting rock bottom and six points below eleventh-placed Ross County who have a game in hand.
A 1-0 win against St Mirren marked the end of a 17 game winless run in February with January signing Tete Yengi scored the winner. The Australian has been an inspired signing, scoring three goals so far for David Martindale’s men.
Their last three outings have seen them suffer two more losses and a draw however as the drop looks ever more likely for the Lions.
The Cup has proven to be a welcome respite from their losing run. A 2-1 victory over Raith Rovers followed by an 4-3 win over Partick Thistle sees them take on the current holders this weekend.
Team News
Celtic captain Callum McGregor is expected to be out until after the international break. Reo Hatate is a continued absentee having not featured since October.
Livingston midfielders Shaun Donnellan and Scott Pittman are not expected to be back in time. Goalkeeper Jack Hamilton remains out with a groin injury.
Betting Odds
No surprises here as Celtic enter as huge 1/25 favourites on the moneyline with Bet365 (an implied probability of 96.2%). SkyBet give Livingston a slim 12/1 (7.7%) chance of securing a spot in the semis, while the draw comes in at 11/1 with QuinnBET (an implied probability of 8.33%).
Prediction
OddsNow back Celtic to move a step closer to retaining their Scottish Cup Trophy in a high-scoring game.