Celtic and St Mirren will face off at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon for the final match of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership season.
The hosts will aim to celebrate their league title triumph with a victory, while the visitors will look to spoil the trophy celebrations and move into fifth on the final day.
Match preview
© IconSport
Celtic have had another outstanding domestic season, clinching the Scottish League Cup (beating Rangers in a penalty shootout in the final) and securing the Scottish Premiership title with four games remaining.
The Bhoys, after Aberdeen faltered following matchday 11, never appeared at risk of relinquishing top spot in the league, eventually sealing it with a commanding 5-0 win over Dundee United in their first post-split fixture.
While that will certainly be classed as a successful season, Celtic still have their sights set on one final trophy, with Brendan Rodgers' men set to compete in the Scottish FA Cup final next weekend against Aberdeen, where the Bhoys could claim a sixth domestic treble in the last nine campaigns.
Despite already securing the Scottish Premiership, Celtic have maintained their positive form, with the Bhoys now heading into this one with five wins and one draw in their last six, and Rodgers will look to carry that momentum into the final.
The Bhoys have every reason to be full of confidence going into Saturday's clash with St Mirren, as Celtic have won all of the last eight clashes and are undefeated in the past 12 encounters.
St Mirren got off to a slow start this season, with Stephen Robinson's side winning only two of their first 10 league games, leaving them sat at the bottom of the table.
However, a strong run of form propelled the Saints up the table, putting them in contention for a top-six finish on the final day, where a dramatic 3-2 win over Ross County - sealed by Roland Idowu's 86th-minute winner - saw St Mirren overtake Motherwell and Hearts to claim sixth place.
Despite remaining unbeaten in the post-split fixtures with two wins and two draws, St Mirren have fallen short of securing a European spot, still four points behind fourth-placed Aberdeen, but they could climb to fifth depending on the final day's results.
The Saints trail fifth-placed Dundee United by one point, and given the Tangerines face Aberdeen on the back of four successive defeats, St Mirren may fancy their chances of moving up the standings if they can secure at least a point against the Bhoys.
Team News
![Stephen Robinson of St Mirren during the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match at the SMISA Stadium, Paisley, on August 1, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/stephen-robinson.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Stephen Robinson of St Mirren during the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match at the SMISA Stadium, Paisley, on August 1, 2024 [on August 2, 2024]")
© Imago
Celtic will remain without Jota for the rest of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury, while Cameron Carter-Vickers is unable to play on Saturday and is a doubt for the upcoming cup final.
James Forrest, who recently became Celtic's most decorated player with 26 trophies, is still seeking his first goal of the season as he aims to score in 16 consecutive seasons, and the winger is expected to start on Saturday.
Rodgers named a heavily rotated side in the 5-1 victory against Aberdeen last time out, and a similar 11 could be fielded on Saturday in order to rest the key starters for the cup final.
As for St Mirren, Elvis Bwomono is expected to be the only absentee for the visitors due to injury, though Idowu may be a doubt after coming off with a potential problem in the last match.
Given the Saints are undefeated in their four post-split fixtures in the build-up to this clash, Robinson may decide to name a largely unchanged team in this one.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Sinisalo; Ralston, Nawrocki, Trusty, Schlupp; Bernardo, McGregor, McCowan; Forrest, Kenny, Hyun-Jun
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Alebiousu, Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, John; Mandron, Ayunga
We say: Celtic 3-1 St Mirren
St Mirren enter the clash in impressive form, but Celtic have been dominant in domestic competition this term and this fixture in recent history, so we anticipate a commanding home victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
