Celtic host Partick Thistle in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday with an eye on returning to winning ways after a shock defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend.
A solitary goal from Youssouf Mulumbu was all it took to separate the two sides in a frustrating afternoon for the Bhoys at Rugby Park.
As for Thistle, their mid-week loss to Rangers followed a 1-1 draw away to Motherwell, meaning Celtic will no doubt fancy their chances.
Indeed, the Celts have not lost to their cross-city rivals in 26 meetings, with their last loss to Partick dating all the way to 1995.
| Game | Celtic vs Partick Thistle |
| Date | Saturday, February 10 |
| Time | 12:15 GMT / 07:15 ET |
TV Channel & Live Stream
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BBC One Scotland and it can be streamed live online via the iPlayer or Celtic TV (overseas only).
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC One Scotland | Celtic TV / iPlayer |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Celtic players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gordon, De Vries, Bain |
| Defenders | Hendry, Simunovic, Gamboa, Boyata, Lustig, Compper, Ajer, Ralston, Miller, Tierney |
| Midfielders | Bitton, Roberts, Brown, Sinclair, Armstrong, Hayes, Rogic, Ntcham, McGregor, Forrest, Musonda, Kouassi |
| Forwards | Griffiths, Dembele, Edouard |
Dedryck Boyata will be a definite absentee come Saturday, although fellow defender Kristoffer Ajer is included in the squad despite picking up a knock against Kilmarnock last weekend.
Jozo Simunovic missed that 1-0 defeat as a precaution and could return to the centre of defence, though the match comes too soon for Marvin Compper.
Jack Hendry is ineligible having already turned out for Dundee and Patrick Roberts has returned to training with the first team but will likely be given more time before returning to the pitch.
Potential Celtic starting XI: De Vries; Ajer, Simunovic, Bitton, Tierney; Brown, Kouassi; Sinclair, Ntcham, Forrest; Dembele.
| Position | Partick Thistle players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cerny, Scully, Sneddon |
| Defenders | Dumbuya, Booth, Cargill, Keown, Elliott, Devine, McGinn, Penrice |
| Midfielders | Osman, Spittal, Bannigan, Erskine, Lawless, Barton, Edwards, Fraser, McCarthy, Wilson, Woods |
| Forwards | Doolan, Sammon, Storey |
Jags boss Alan Archibald has said that Niall Keown is a doubt for the clash but Steven Lawless and Callum Booth will both feature.
Potential Partick Thistle starting XI: Cerny; McGinn, Devine, Cargill, Booth; Osman, Woods; Edwards, Lawless, Storey; Sammon.
Betting & Match Odds
Celtic are unsurprisingly installed as favourites as 2/11 (1.18) by dabblebet, while Partick are 11/1 to emerge as victors and a draw comes in at 11/2.
Match Preview
Celtic's last meeting with Partick yielded a 2-1 victory as they travelled across town to Firhill Stadium in late January, with Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffths both netting on that occasion.
As mentioned, the Jags have a horrendous record against Brendan Rodgers' side and the hosts are likely to be confident of bouncing back from their stinging defeat against Kilmarnock with a win on Saturday.
The hosts do have a fair amount of injuries still to deal with, but have plenty of options in midfield and attack, while the return of Kristoffer Ajer at the back will provide a welcome boost to Brendan's Bhoys.
Partick striker Kris Doolan is optimistic, however, stating ahead of the match: "It's down to mentality. People will turn around and maybe laugh because the gulf is so big, but Kilmarnock showed that on your day anything can happen.
"We are under no illusions how difficult it is going to be but on the day, Kilmarnock showed last week that anything can happen and it just takes one goal to win the game."
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