Scottish Cup holders Celtic take on League One outfit Falkirk on Saturday, hoping to progress to the next round as they bid to retain the trophy for the fifth successive year.
The Hoops have won just one of their last four league fixtures, while the visitors have lost just four of their 20 matches in all competitions so far this season.
Match preview
Even though Rangers dethroned Celtic as Scottish Premiership champions for the first time in a decade, the Hoops still have one more trophy to play for and interim boss John Kennedy hopes to end what has been a bitterly disappointing campaign on a high with success in the Scottish Cup.
Celtic won a record fourth consecutive Scottish Cup and completed a historic quadruple treble in a belated 2020 final against Hearts in December, when a dramatic 3-3 draw was decided on penalties with Kristoffer Ajer scoring the decisive spot kick at Hampden Park.
That triumph was Celtic's 40th in the competition, seven more than any other Scottish side, and Neil Lennon – who left the club two months later – lifted his fourth as a manager, which moved him level with Sir Alex Ferguson into sixth on the all-time list of the most successful managers in Scottish Cup history.
Goalkeeper Scott Bain hopes that this season's Scottish Cup campaign can provide "added motivation" for their remaining league games, as the Hoops still have plenty to play for in terms of pride and building confidence ahead of next year.
If the Bhoys were to win the Scottish Cup, it would be the last piece of silverware to be lifted by captain Scott Brown, who announced over the international break that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season to take up a player-coach role at Aberdeen.
Celtic lost their last meeting with Falkirk in the Scottish Cup 1-0 back in 1997, and another surprise defeat on Saturday would see the Hoops end the campaign without a trophy for the first time since 2010.
Falkirk are on course to end their two-year spell in the third tier of Scottish Football as they currently sit top of League One, four points above Cove Rangers in second and eight points clear of fourth-placed Partick Thistle, who currently occupy the final playoff spot.
The Bairns won their opening Scottish Cup match on March 23, when they beat Arbroath 2-1 in the second round, thanks to an 87th minute winner from Kai Fotheringham.
Falkirk have won the competition twice before, lifting the trophy back in 1913 and 1957, and were also runners-up three times in 1997, 2009 and 2015.
The Bairns head into the clash at Celtic Park after failing to win any of their last 11 meetings with the Hoops, conceding 32 goals in the process.
Falkirk have only failed to progress beyond the third round once in the last 15 years, and co-managers Lee Miller and David McCracken, who were given the job on a permanent basis in mid-December, are hoping that their side can cause a huge upset on Saturday to keep this impressive run going.
- W
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
Team News
Celtic boss Kennedy may decide to make a few changes to the side that drew with Rangers but with the Scottish Cup their last chance to claim silverware this season, he is still expected to name a strong side on Saturday.
Centre-back Christopher Jullien remains out with a knee injury, while midfielder Nir Bitton is also unavailable with a groin problem.
Left-back Greg Taylor was a doubt heading into the Old Firm derby with a muscle strain but was able to make the bench, and having had more time to recover over the international break, the 23-year-old could be in contention to start ahead of Diego Laxalt.
Winger James Forrest made his first league appearance since mid-September in the draw at Dundee United and again came off the bench against Rangers, but he will be hoping to start on Saturday.
Falkirk's co-managers Miller and McCracken may decide to start with a back five, as they did in the Scottish League Cup defeat to Rangers in November.
Mark Durnan was shown a red card against Dumbarton before the international break and is suspended for Saturday's match, which could see Gary Miller, Ben Hall and Paul Dixon line-up as the three central defenders.
Top goalscorer Callumn Morrison is expected to start up front with either Anton Dowds or Connor Sammon.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Bain; Kenny, Welsh, Ajer, Taylor; Brown; Turnbull, McGregor; Rogic; Elyounoussi, Griffiths
Falkirk possible starting lineup:
Mutch; G. Miller, Hall, Dixon; Todd, Alston, Gomis, Leitch, Kelly; Morrison, Dowds
We say: Celtic 4-0 Falkirk
Celtic will be strong favourites for their clash against Falkirk this weekend, and they will fancy their chances of securing a comfortable victory against the League One side.
The visitors lost 4-0 to Rangers in the Scottish League Cup four months ago, and we can see the Hoops recording the same scoreline at Celtic Park.
body check tags ::
