Celtic vs Dundee - prediction, team news, lineups

Celtic invited Dundee FC to Celtic Park connected Monday evening for the opening play of the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership campaign.

The Hoops played retired a 2-2 gully with AC Milan successful their past summertime friendly, portion the Dee bushed Clyde FC 4-0 successful their last Scottish League Cup radical fixture.

Match preview

Following their melodramatic rubric triumph past season, Celtic volition beryllium hoping to clasp the Scottish Premiership crown for the 5th consecutive twelvemonth successful 2026-27 and footwear disconnected their defence with triumph astatine location connected Monday evening.

With conscionable a trio of fixtures remaining successful past season’s Championship Group, the Hoops recovered themselves 3 points down league leaders Hearts, who had topped the array for overmuch of the run and looked apt to extremity their 66-year hold for Premiership success.

However, pursuing a Jam Tarts gully against Motherwell, Martin O’Neill’s men claimed back-to-back victories earlier coming from down connected an emphatic last time to bushed their rubric rivals and clinch their 14th crown of the erstwhile 15 seasons.

Due to their automatic Scottish League Cup knockout signifier qualification, Celtic person been void of competitory summertime action, though they person had respective affable fixtures, drafting with Shelbourne, Middlesbrough and AC Milan arsenic good arsenic falling to a 4-1 nonaccomplishment against Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.

Despite their rocky preparation, O’Neill’s broadside volition inactive beryllium assured of getting their league run disconnected to the cleanable start, having beaten Monday’s opponents successful each of the erstwhile 9 meetings betwixt the teams astatine Celtic Park.

After narrowly avoiding the driblet successful the 2024-25 season, finishing 4 points supra Ross County successful the relegation playoff spot, Dundee were overmuch improved past run and secured their Scottish Premiership presumption for a 4th consecutive year.

Despite erstwhile again competing successful the division’s relegation group, Steven Pressley’s broadside experienced a beardown decorativeness to their season, winning 3 of the past 4 games to decorativeness connected 42 points, 8 wide of danger.

Having secured their spot successful the Scottish League Cup knockout stages implicit the erstwhile month, claiming triumph successful 3 matches to advancement arsenic the highest ranked second-place side, the Dark Blues volition beryllium wanting a seamless commencement to their league run excessively and looking to replicate their 2023-24 Championship Group information erstwhile more.

While they person mostly struggled erstwhile travelling to Celtic Park, Dundee bash person caller acquisition of beating the Scottish champions, posting a 2-0 triumph successful October 2025 courtesy of a Clark Robertson onslaught and Cameron Carter-Vickers ain goal.

Celtic pre-season affable form:

Dundee Scottish League Cup form:

Dundee pre-season affable form:

Team News

After signing for a club-record £11 cardinal interest connected Tuesday, each eyes volition beryllium connected whether Danish planetary Kasper Hogh tin marque his debut for the hosts connected Monday.

However, with Colombian striker Camilo Duran scoring successful Celtic's erstwhile 3 affable fixtures, we judge that Hogh volition person to marque bash with a seat quality against Dundee.

Having missed the entirety of past play with a cruciate injury, it is not expected that Jota volition marque a instrumentality until October, portion Johnny Kenny continues to endure from a lateral collateral ligament issue.

Following immoderate awesome results successful pre-season, it is apt that Pressley makes fewer changes to his starting lineup for their sojourn to the champions, with Kieran O'Hara betwixt the sticks, Ethan Hamilton pulling the strings and Simon Murray captaining the broadside from centre forward.

Since signing for the nine this summer, Idris Odutayo, Ryan Finnigan and Alan Forrest person made bully impressions and are each successful with a outcry of starring connected Monday evening.

Celtic imaginable starting lineup:

Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Hatate, Engels; Forrest, Duran, Tounekti

Dundee imaginable starting lineup:

O'Hara; Wright, Astley, Donnelly, Halliday; Bevan, Finnigan, Reilly, Hamilton, Jones; Murray

We say: Celtic 2-0 Dundee

Although Dundee person possibly had the amended mentation for the upcoming league campaign, having already played 4 competitory fixtures this season, it is hard to spot them overcoming a beardown Celtic broadside connected the opening weekend.

With noisy neighbours Rangers already dropping points successful their archetypal fixture, O'Neill's men volition beryllium looking to capitalise and statesman this run successful the aforesaid mode that they finished the last.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.