Celtic vs Hibernian Prediction

Howzit my bru! Grab a cold one and fire up the braai because we've got a lekker Scottish Premiership clash coming your way this Sunday. Celtic host Hibernian in what looks like a straightforward banker for the home side, even if the odds are shorter than a vegetarian's grocery list (and trust me, I wouldn't know what that looks like!).

The Bhoys are sitting pretty in 3rd place on 54 points, a full 12 clear of the visitors who are down in 5th. Celtic are on an impressive unbeaten run of 10 games straight, with 5 wins and 5 draws. They've been a bit draw-heavy at home lately though - 60% of their last 5 home games have ended level, including a disappointing 1-1 against bottom-feeders Livingston and another 1-1 against Dundee. But they did beat Falkirk 2-0 and Kilmarnock 3-2 away recently, showing they can still find the net when it matters.

Hibernian come into this with 5 wins from their last 10, but their away form is about as stable as a three-legged table - just 1 win from their last 4 on the road (25%) with 3 defeats. They got a good 0-0 draw against Rangers recently and beat Hearts 3-2 at home, but away from home they've conceded 1.75 goals per game recently and struggle to keep clean sheets.

Now here's where it gets tastier than a perfectly seared steak on the braai. The head-to-head record is all Celtic. The home side have won 7 of the last 9 meetings, scoring 18 goals to Hibernian's 6. At home specifically, Celtic have won 4 out of 5 against Hibernian (80% win rate) with just one draw. The last meeting in November ended 2-1 to Celtic.

The stats back up the dominance too. Celtic are averaging 1.8 goals per game with just 1.0 conceded, while the visitors score 1.5 but let in 1.2. The goal expectancy model has this at 1.68 to 0.90 in favour of the home team. Celtic also dominate possession (62.3% at home) and shots (16.33 per game at home vs 10 for Hibernian away).

Key Points:

• Celtic are unbeaten in their last 10 matches (5 wins, 5 draws)

• Hibernian have lost 3 of their last 4 away games (75% loss rate)

• Celtic have won 80% of home H2H meetings against Hibernian (4 wins, 1 draw)

• Over 2.5 goals has landed in 6 of the last 9 H2H encounters

• Celtic have kept 4 clean sheets in their last 10 games (40%)

Summary: Look, at 1.44 the home win isn't going to buy you a new Weber braai, but Celtic's dominance in this fixture is too strong to ignore. Hibernian struggle on the road and Celtic need the three points to keep pressure on Hearts and Rangers at the top. Take the home win and don't be surprised if it's a comfortable afternoon for the hosts.