Hibernian vs Celtic Prediction: League leading Celtic can’t afford to drop points again

Hoping to recover from a disappointing draw over the weekend and secure their position at the summit of the Scottish Premiership, Celtic will journey to Easter Road to face Hibernian on Wednesday. The visitors' lead over title rivals Rangers was reduced to three points following a stalemate with Aberdeen, while their hosts currently occupy the seventh position amidst a challenging spell of form.

Hibernian aims to bounce back in their upcoming match following a 0-3 defeat in the Premiership against St Mirren. In that game, Hibernian dominated possession with 61% and registered 6 shots on goal, but only 1 on target. On the contrary, St Mirren had 12 attempts on goal, with 5 on target, and scored through Alex Gogić (8'), Greg Kiltie (34'), and Mikael Mandron (44').

Recent performances indicate a defensive vulnerability for Hibernian, conceding in 5 of their last 6 matches and allowing a total of 11 goals. Looking ahead to the upcoming clash, Hibernian has not secured a victory against Celtic in their last 2 league matches. Additionally, they have faced a winless streak at home in their last 4 league games.

In their pursuit of clinching a third consecutive Scottish Premiership title this season, the formidable Glasgow giants have made a strong start, accumulating 58 points from their initial 24 games and consistently holding the top position throughout the campaign so far. Despite facing setbacks in December that slightly narrowed their lead over rivals Rangers, Brendan Rodgers's team made a remarkable comeback with five consecutive victories around the turn of the year. They triumphed over Livingston, Dundee, Rangers, St Mirren, and Ross County. However, their momentum was halted in a recent match against Aberdeen where, despite Nicolas Kuhn leveling the score on the hour mark after Bojan Miovski had given the hosts the lead in the 50th minute, Celtic could not secure a winning goal, settling for a draw.

Following this unexpected result and with Rangers securing their fourth consecutive win on Saturday, Celtic's lead at the top has dwindled to just three points, and they are keen to maintain this slim advantage with a swift return to winning ways in their upcoming match on Wednesday.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Marshall; Megwa, Fish, Triantis, Obita; Newell, Levitt; Youan, Marcondes, Maolida; Vente

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Hart; Johnston, Scales, Welsh, Ralston; Bernardo, O'Riley, McGregor; Abada, Furuhashi, Kuhn

Hibernian has faced setbacks in two of their last three league games and hasn't secured a victory in their last six matches in the competition. The team is currently on a winless streak in their last four home games and is eager to break that pattern this week. In contrast, Celtic has shown impressive form, remaining unbeaten in their last seven games across all competitions, with six wins and a draw during that period. Given the considerable difference in class and quality between the two teams, it is anticipated that the visitors will emerge victorious with a margin of at least two goals in what is expected to be an offense-oriented, goal-scoring encounter.