Coming off of Wednesday night’s monster win away to Anderlecht, Celtic have every reason to feel invincible.
That win in Europe was one of the finest for any Scottish side in years and coupled with their unbelievable unbeaten domestic run, stopping the Hoops right now seems impossible. They host Hibernian at Celtic Park on Saturday in a sold-out 3pm kick-off that is sure to catch the imagination of Scottish football.
Recently promoted Hibs have breathed new life into the Scottish Premiership this season and after some big wins will go to Glasgow with confidence, despite the challenge ahead of them. Led by former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon, there are many intriguing storylines running through the encounter.
The Leith outfit could also provide one of the Hoops’ toughest tests of the season, domestically at least.
Here are three reasons why…
They’ve only lost one of their 13 matches so far
Hibernian have been in excellent form this season and even when not at their best or not winning matches they’ve usually found a way to draw the encounter. In fact, they’ve only lost one match so far this season, unless you also count a point gained in the Scottish League Cup groups in which they lost the bonus point on penalties.
It’s a fantastic record and shows the fighting spirit Neil Lennon has instilled into his team. Along the way they’ve picked up some good wins including one against Rangers at Ibrox, a match they easily could have lost but battled hard to win 3-2.
They’re going to be tough to break down on Saturday. Lennon knows better than anyone how to play against Celtic at Celtic Park and he’ll be going all out to stop the Hoops playing.
They’re scoring plenty of goals
Hibs are also in fine goalscoring form this season. In their 13 matches so far they’ve scored a fantastic 33 goals. That’s a statistic that demonstrates the joy they take in getting up the pitch and allowing their more creative players to shine. It also shows the potential they have when they get the performance right on the day.
Consistency has been lacking for Neil Lennon’s side this season, he’ll admit to too many dropped points, but on their day they can give anyone in Scottish football a game, including Celtic.
Both Simon Murray and Anthony Stokes are on seven goals for the season already and you wouldn’t put it past both to get well into double figures by the time the campaign is over. The Hoops will need to guard against both on Saturday.
Former Celtic heroes have a lot to prove
Neil Lennon isn’t the only returning former Hoops star that will be returning to Celtic Park on Saturday. Hibernian have a few in their ranks including Anthony Stokes, Efe Ambrose and Dylan McGeouch.
All three are likely to play this weekend and all three have their own points to prove when they return to Glasgow.
Stokes’ Celtic career petered out towards the end and while he’s a Celtic fan, he’ll be hoping he can show the Hoops hierarchy exactly what they’re missing.
Ambrose meanwhile would love to keep a clean sheet and frustrate a home support that gave him a fair bit of stick over the years for mistakes and poor performances.
McGeouch never quite made it as a first-team regular at Celtic Park and would likely love to show that he has the quality to make an impact at Celtic Park in a manner his potential promised all those years ago.
These are all interesting battles and these stars will be extra motivated to get something out of their trip to Glasgow, making them all the more dangerous.
