Celtic is set to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium on Wednesday night in their next Scottish Premiership match.
Celtic aims to strengthen their title challenge, while Aberdeen looks to improve under interim management.
Aberdeen vs Celtic – Match preview and team news
- Date: Wednesday, 4th February.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST.
- Venue: Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen.
Aberdeen team news
Aberdeen has injury and suspension challenges ahead of this match. The Dons will be missing their captain, Graeme Shinnie, who is suspended after a red card in last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Kilmarnock, which is a significant setback for the team.
Injuries are adding to their troubles, as Gavin Molloy is still recovering from a knee injury and will be out until mid-February. Kristers Tobers and Mats Knoester are also unfit, and goalkeeper Nick Suman will miss the match due to ongoing issues.
However, interim manager Peter Leven has managed to keep some stability after Jimmy Thelin’s departure on January 3rd. Leven previously led the squad to six wins in twelve matches during an earlier caretaker role.
Celtic team news
Celtic had a boost on transfer deadline day, signing three players on loan: Junior Adamu from Freiburg, Benjamin Arthur from Brentford, and Joel Mvuka from Lorient.
Manager Martin O’Neill is still dealing with several injuries that affect squad depth. Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Marcelo Saracchi are sidelined, and attacking midfielder Jota is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. Callum Osmand is also unavailable due to a hamstring issue.
Despite these hurdles, O’Neill rejected a £25 million bid from Nottingham Forest for midfielder Arne Engels, with the club backing his decision to keep the player for their title aspirations.
Form
Aberdeen
Under Peter Leven, Aberdeen has seen mixed results, with their last match highlighting defensive issues. The 3-0 defeat to Kilmarnock was disappointing, and Leven admitted that his substitutions may have contributed to Shinnie’s red card.
Before that loss, Aberdeen had shown promise with a 6-2 victory over Livingston and a 1-0 win against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup, indicating they can still compete despite their league standing.
Celtic
Martin O’Neill’s return to management has been successful, as the Scottish champions have extended their unbeaten run to seven matches with a 2-0 win over Falkirk.
With this victory, Celtic moved to second place, level on points with Rangers but six points behind leaders Hearts, holding one game in hand. Prior to this match, Celtic had two consecutive draws against Hearts and Bologna in the Europa League but have since scored six goals in their last two games.
Predicted lineups
Aberdeen: Mitov; Devlin, Morrison, Nilsen, Frame; Bilalovic, Cameron, Clarkson, Armstrong, Keskinen; Nisbet.
Celtic: Schmeichel; Araujo, Murray, Scales, Tierney; Hyun-Jun, Engels, McGregor, Maeda; Cvancara, Nygren.
How to watch Aberdeen vs Celtic?
Viewers in the UK can catch the match on Sky Sports Football.
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