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The 10 in a row dream is barely a faint glow after Celtic blew what was probably their only chance of edging back into the title race last time out.
A third consecutive defeat to Rangers ended the seven-game unbeaten streak the Hoops had built up across all competitions, and there’ll be a sense of what might have been for Neil Lennon’s charges.
After looking the more likely to make the breakthrough during the first half, Nir Bitton’s sending off just beyond the hour mark allowed Rangers a route to exert some control, and they capitalized on the extra man advantage under 10 minutes later to nick maximum points.
Hibernian are still flying high in fourth, but they too need to regather after winning just once in five appearances.
They’ve lost their last three to Rangers (1-0), Ross County (2-0) and Livingston (3-0) as the defeats slowly grew bigger, with these losses coinciding with a goalkeeper crisis following an injury to first-choice Ofir Marciano, who remains highly doubtful for this clash.
Jack Ross has had no alternative but to turn to on-loan rookie Dillon Barnes between the sticks, with no other senior options available.
However, having just experienced a chance to grab some rare game time, the shot-stopper has been recalled by parent club QPR, so Hibernian’s rearguard will be disrupted once again.
Arsenal’s Matt Macey has been heavily linked with a switch, while Jack Ross could recall Kevin Dabrowski from a loan spell at League One outfit Dumbarton, but the only other option is to bring goalkeeping coach Craig Samson out of retirement, despite his last professional appearance coming over two years ago. Whoever gets the nod is either going to be ring rusty, inexperienced or unfamiliar with the setup.
Celtic -1 Handicap
Celtic may have lost to the best side in the League last time out, but their mini revival saw them win five of seven unbeaten matches over 90 minutes across all competitions prior to that.
For all their problems this season, the Hoops have still won 23 of 26 home league games dating back to April 2019, as each of the two defeats they suffered coming at the hands of their Old Firm rivals. 10 of their last 11 wins here have come by at least two clear goals and they’ve won by a two-goal margin or greater in all four matches hosting Hibs since 2018/19.
Moreover, six of Hibs’ past eight defeats over 90 minutes have seen their opponents cover the -1 handicap.
CELTIC V HIBERNIAN ODDS AVAILABLE HERE
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ODDS ARE CORRECT AS OF 07/01/2020 HOWEVER ARE SUBJECT TO FLUCTUATIONS
