Hibernian vs Celtic Prediction & Betting Tips - Scottish Premiership

Prediction published on 22/05/2023, 12:00  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 24/05/2023 at 06:45 in Football Predictions

Fifth-placed Hibernian will play host to the champions of the Scottish Premiership, Celtic, on Wednesday evening. Celtic clinched the title a couple of weeks ago and have seemingly been on a victory lap over the last two matches. Hibernian, meanwhile, are on 48 points, six behind Aberdeen in third place and two points above St Mirren in sixth. While they will need some luck to finish in the top four places, holding on to fifth this season could be a huge outcome for Hibernian. If Celtic goes on to win the Scottish Cup, it would open the door for the side that finishes fifth to enter the Conference League qualifiers in the second round next season. Hibernian lost their last match 3-1 to Rangers, bringing an end to a four-match unbeaten streak, which included two wins and two draws. They’ve taken 27 of a possible 48 points in home matches this season but have lost three of their last five at Easter Road Stadium. Hibernian have failed to beat Celtic in their last 14 attempts dating back to 2018 and will likely find it hard to take anything from this one as well. 

Meanwhile, Celtic have already earned their ninth consecutive Premiership title and will be eyeing up a Scottish Cup title in the next few weeks. The champions seem to have stepped off the gas in recent weeks and will want to get back to winning ways to build up a head of steam heading into that final. Celtic were beaten 3-0 by Rangers last week and only managed a draw against St Mirren over the weekend. Over their last six matches, Celtic have won two, drawn two, and lost two. They've only lost once in 16 away matches this season. Celtic won the last meeting between these sides 3-1 in March, which was their third consecutive win over this opponent. In their 14-match unbeaten run against this opponent, Celtic have outscored Hibernian 29-7. The champions could make a few changes to their squad but will still be firmly expecting to win this one convincingly.