Celtic boss Neil Lennon will make a rapid return to Hibs on Saturday in the Scottish Cup after getting off to a winning start in his second spell in charge of the Hoops.
Away to Hearts on Wednesday, the Scottish Premiership leaders made heavy weather of facing 10 men but came away with a dramatic 2-1 victory thanks to a late goal from Odsonne Edouard.
Hibs, meanwhile, will be desperate to get one over on their old boss, who left in acrimonious circumstances barely four weeks ago.
Game | Hibernian vs Celtic |
Date | Saturday, March 2 |
Time | 5:15pm GMT / 12:15pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed via ESPN+.
US TV channel | Online stream |
---|---|
N/A | ESPN+ |
In the UK, the game is being shown on Premier Sports 1 and Premier Player.
UK TV channel | Online stream |
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Premier Sports 1 | Premier Player |
Squads & Team News
Position | Hibs squad |
---|---|
Goalkeepers | Bogdan, Marciano |
Defenders | Hanlon, McGregor, Nelom, Stevenson, Whittaker, Gray, Mackie, Johnson |
Midfielders | Milligan, Bartley, Omeonga, Slivka, Mallan, Horgan, Murray, Bigirimana, Gauld |
Forwards | Agyepong, Kamberi, Shaw, McNulty |
Hibs will be without Ryan Porteous, Ryan Gauld, Thomas Agyepong and Martin Boyle because of injury.
Vykintas Slivka is banned and will miss this clash.
Possible Hibs starting XI: Marciano; Gray, McGregor, Hanlon, Stevenson; Omeonga, Milligan, Mallan, Horgan; Kamberi, McNulty
Position | Celtic squad |
---|---|
Goalkeepers | Gordon, Bain, De Vries |
Defenders | Toljan, Izaguirre, Hendry, Simunovic, Gambao, Boyata, Lustig, Benkovic, Ajer, Tierney, Gutman |
Midfielders | Brown, Sinclair, Hayes, Forrest, Henderson, Johnston, Allan, Bitton |
Forwards | Edouard, Burke, Weah |
Celtic’s injury list remains formidably long. Anthony Ralston and Filip Benkovic are missing from the defence, while Eboue Kouassi, Tom Rogic, Olivier Ntcham, Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie are absent from the midfield.
In attack, Daniel Arzani continues his rehabilitation while Leigh Griffiths is on leave.
Possible Celtic starting XI: Bain; Toljan, Ajer, Boyata, Tierney; Bitton, Brown; Forrest, Henderson, Sinclair; Burke
Betting & Match Odds
Celtic are strong favourites to win at Easter Road at Bet365, where they can be backed at 8/15. Hibs are 5/1 to upset their old boss and the tie is priced at 3/1 to go to a replay with a draw.
Match Preview
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Odsonne Edouard’s dramatic 92nd-minute winner against Hearts at Tynecastle may prove to be the goal that sends Celtic to their eighth successive Scottish Premiership title.
The club was still in a state of shock following the exit of manager Brendan Rodgers to Leicester only hours previous, and though Neil Lennon had been hurriedly put in place as a temporary measure in the dugout, there was little doubt that the pressure was on the Hoops travelling to an extremely hostile venue.
Against opponents whose tempo troubled the defending champions, they came through at the last.
“Tonight was a huge game for us,” captain Scott Brown admitted. “It was sad to see a manager of that class leave. The gaffer’s come in and it's great to see him back at the club.
“For us it’s about continuing and making sure were getting better and better. Everyone wanted Lennon to come back in. He puts a lot of faith in his players so we’ll try to be as positive [in spite of] a huge loss and a huge gain.”
Lennon, meanwhile, enjoyed the experience of leading Celtic for the first time in six years but he wants better from his side going forward.
“It was a great feeling, a great moment and a nice way to win the game,” he said. “That was joy, relief and I was so nervous before the game. It means a lot.
“We made hard work of it. We made it a lot more uncomfortable than it should've been.”
He left Hibs under a cloud, with the team struggling and chased by rumours of a training ground clash with striker Florian Kamberi.
“They’ve obviously made a good choice Hibs – made a good decision!” he joked, referring to the Leith club’s four-match winning streak.
“They’re playing well and winning games so it’s going to be a tough game again.
“There’s a bit of trepidation. I hope I get a decent reception, I'd like to think so.”
Lennon famously led Hibs to the Scottish Cup in 2016, the first time they had won the trophy since 1902, though he will be desperately hoping that he can stop their current run as the Bhoys chase a treble-treble.