Falkirk vs Celtic Prediction

Falkirk are on a roll, and Celtic are still the ones everyone's pricing as the heavy favourites. Let's get into it.

Falkirk have won their last three — a 1-0 at Aberdeen, a 3-0 over Kilmarnock at home, and a 2-1 at Hibernian — scoring six and conceding just one in that stretch. They're in a good place heading into this one. That said, they did lose to Dundee 1-2 at home on 10 October, and their home record over 20 games is 10 wins, 0 draws, 10 losses. They score 1.7 per game at home but also concede 1.55, so this is a team that trades blows rather than sits back.

Celtic, on the other hand, are the ones who've done the damage here before. In the last four meetings between these two — all within the past 12 months — Celtic have won every single one: 2-1, 3-1, 2-0 at their own ground, and 1-0 at Falkirk's. The full head-to-head goes back five years and Celtic have won all eight. Falkirk have scored just 5 goals in those 8 games and conceded 24. That's a pattern that's hard to ignore.

Now, Celtic's last five games tell a slightly different story. They drew 2-2 with Dundee Utd at home on 28 October, beat Hibernian 2-1 away, lost 1-2 to Celta Vigo in Europe, thrashed Hearts 7-1, and lost 1-4 to Benfica. Two wins, a draw, two losses. They've scored 13 and conceded 10 in that stretch, and they haven't kept a clean sheet in any of those five. Their away record over 20 games is 12 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses, with 1.95 points per game — comfortably better than Falkirk's 1.5 at home.

The counter-argument is that Celtic's form is patchy. Two European losses and a domestic draw suggest they're not at their peak. Falkirk's three-game winning run shows they're confident and scoring. And the head-to-head, while lopsided, does show that 4 of those 8 meetings saw both teams find the net.

But here's the thing that tips me: both teams have scored in every one of their last five games. Celtic have conceded in all five. Falkirk have scored in all five and conceded in three. Celtic's away record shows both teams scoring in 13 of 20 games, and Falkirk's home record shows the same in 11 of 20. The last five Celtic games all went over 2.5, and the head-to-head has seen over 2.5 in 6 of 8 meetings. The goals are coming, and both sides are finding the net.

Key Points:

• Celtic won all 4 recent head-to-head meetings (2-1, 3-1, 2-0, 1-0)

• Both teams have scored in every one of their last 5 games

• Celtic's away record: 12W 3D 5L over 20 games, 1.95 ppg

• Falkirk's home record: 10W 0D 10L over 20 games, 1.5 ppg

• Celtic have conceded in all 5 of their last 5 games; Falkirk have scored in all 5

My pick: both teams to score.