St Johnstone vs Celtic: Team news, predictions, key men and latest Scottish Cup odds

Celtic return to Hampden Park for the third time this season as they face St Johnstone in the Scottish semi-final (kick off: 3pm).

Brendan Rodgers’ side have their eyes firmly set on a domestic treble this season, though their Perthshire opponents will have been boosted by their 1-0 victory against Celtic just two weeks ag. Ahead of the game in Mount Florida, we look through each team’s recent form, key players, latest team news and give our predictions for the game based on the form of both sides.

Celtic came out second best to St Johnstone last weekend. | SNS Group

St Johnstone Recent Form

Simo Valakari’s side have been on a difficult run of form, winning just one of their last five leagues and scoring only twice in the process. The good news? That one win in five came against Celtic exactly two weeks ago, with Daniels Balodis’ fourth minute goal proving to be the winner at McDiarmid Park.

Last week’s 1-0 defeat away to Dundee United brought them crashing back down to earth though, with the Perthshire side now five points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table.

Celtic Recent Form

Losing three of their last eight games, Celtic’s form has been unusually patchy for a team that has largely dominated the Scottish Premiership this season. Big wins over St Mirren (5-2), Aberdeen (5-1) and Hearts (3-0) have been in stark contrast to their narrow defeats against Rangers, Hibs and St Johnstone in recent weeks, and Hoops supporters will be hoping for a little more consistency as the season draws to a close.

That said, Celtic looked back to their imperious best in last week’s 5-1 win over Kilmarnock, with Rodgers’ side going four goals to the good after just 25 minutes in a scintillating performance.

St Johnstone vs Celtic odds

Celtic are overwhelming favourites, with odds of 1/33 to win the tie and 1/7 to win the game in 90 minutes. St Johnstone are priced at 14/1 to emerge victorious, be it in 90 minutes, extra or penalties. Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda are both 9/2 to score the games first goal, with Mackenzie Kirk priced at 14/1.

*All odds are offered by SkyBet and are subject to change at any time. Please gamble responsibly.

St Johnstone Injury and Team News

Long-term injury victims Božo Mikulić (knee), Iche Ikpeazu (groin) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are all expected to be unavailable, while Drey Wright will also miss the game at Hampden Park with an ankle problem.

Celtic Injury and Team News

With first choice goal Kasper Schmeichel still out with a shoulder problem. Viljami Sinisalo is likely continue between the posts. Liam Scales will be hoping to keep his place ahead of Auston Trusty after returning from a head knock last week, while Greg Taylor and Jeffrey Schlupp will vie for the left-back spot. Yang Hyun-Jun is out until next month with an elbow injury.

St Johnstone's MacKenzie Kirk with manager Craig Levein | SNS Group

St Johnstone Player to Watch: Mackenzie Kirk

The youngster has seven goals in 20 starts at McDiarmid Park this season, and is proving to be a real handful for defenders. If St Johnstone are to emerge victorious this weekend, it’s likely Kirk will be at the forefront of it.

Celtic Player to Watch: Daizen Maeda

Most likely to be crowned as the Scottish Premiership player of the season come the end of the campaign, the Japanese forward has been in incredible form all season. Whether playing through the centre, or on the left of a front three, Maeda is Celtic’s key man and sets the tone high press strategy.

Our St Johnstone vs Celtic prediction

Celtic scored 10 goals in their first two games against St Johnstone this season, but lost 1-0 to Simo Valakari’s team a fortnight ago at McDiarmid Park, with the Finnish head coach able to mastermind a rare win against the champions. When it comes to this weekend’s semi-final, anything is possible - so don’t count St Johnstone out.

That said, the Hoops superior squad quality, combined with their ability to produce when it comes to the big games, should see them emerge victorious on Sunday afternoon. Sorry, St Johnstone fans - I can see this only going one way.

Prediction: St Johnstone 1-3 Celtic in 90 minutes (odds of 9/1 with SkyBet).