St Johnstone vs Celtic Predictions & Tips - Hoops Backed for High-Scoring Premiership Win
Celtic visit St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday, where they are strong favorites to extend their winning league start. The Hoops come into the fixture boasting a remarkable head-to-head record against St Johnstone, winning 18 out of the last 20 matches. While the Saints are in good home form, Celtic's superior attacking quality and scoring consistency make them clear favorites. Expect goals from both sides but ultimately a Celtic victory, likely with over 2.5 goals. Key team news includes several absentees for Celtic, but new signings could debut.
- In-form St Johnstone host Premiership leaders Celtic
- Celtic/over 2.5 goals tipped at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday
- Get our St Johnstone vs Celtic tips in the Premiership
- St Johnstone vs Celtic Predictions
- Hoops Backed in Perth
- Celtic Dominate H2H Record
- Saints Claim Second Home Win
- Celtic Maintain Perfect League Start
- St Johnstone vs Celtic Team News
St Johnstone vs Celtic Predictions
St Johnstone welcome Celtic to McDiarmid Park on Wednesday for a rearranged Scottish Premiership contest.
The Saints have made an encouraging return to the top flight but are unlikely to contain the in-form SPL champions.
A Celtic win with over 2.5 goals is my main selection, while BTTS also appeals in Perth.
Hoops Backed in Perth
- Celtic won their last 15 matches (domestic fixtures)
- Celtic have seen over 2.5 goals in 8 of their last 9 matches
- Celtic have seen BTTS in 8 of their last 10 matches (Premiership)
- St Johnstone lost 18 of their last 20 matches against Celtic
- St Johnstone have seen over 2.5 goals in 5 of their last 6 matches against Celtic
- St Johnstone have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 5 matches (Premiership)
Celtic Dominate H2H Record
St Johnstone and Celtic have met on 20 occasions since 2020. Celtic won 18 of those matches while St Johnstone claimed one victory. One match finished level.
Celtic eased to a 5-0 win in their most recent encounter in last season's Scottish Cup semi-final.
Saints Claim Second Home Win
St Johnstone come into Wednesday's contest after securing a deserved 2-1 victory against Hibernian on Sunday.
Josh Fowler opened the scoring from close range in the 17th minute. Nathan Lowe quickly restored parity for Hibs, but Fowler converted a penalty four minutes before half-time to secure an impressive win for the Saints.
Hibs applied plenty of second-half pressure, but Simo Valakari's men defended well to secure back-to-back home wins. St Johnstone registered nine attempts, with four on target, while Hibernian managed 14 shots.
Five games into their return to top-flight football, the Saints sit seventh in the Premiership with seven points on the board.
Valakari's side began their Premiership return with a thrilling 4-3 home win against Kilmarnock before suffering narrow away defeats against St Mirren (1-0) and Hearts (2-1).
Both of their league matches at McDiarmid Park finished with at least three goals, while four of their first five Premiership contests saw both teams score.
Celtic Maintain Perfect League Start
Celtic make the trip to Perth after coming from behind to claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory against St Mirren on Saturday.
Nikolas Agrafiotis gave the Buddies a first-half lead from the penalty spot before Liam Scales headed Celtic level six minutes after the interval. Yang Hyun-jun completed the turnaround with a composed finish in the 68th minute.
The Scottish champions were deserved victors in a competitive and entertaining contest in Paisley. Celtic enjoyed 60% possession, outshot St Mirren 23-19 and posted an xG total of 2.93 against 1.74.
Saturday's success made it five wins from five Premiership fixtures this season. Martin O'Neill's side have now won each of their last 12 league games since April. An average of 3.33 goals per game were scored in those matches.
On the road, O’Neill’s men have impressed, scoring 11 goals in three away wins this season, including a 4-0 win at Dundee Utd and a 5-1 success at Kilmarnock.
European disappointment remains the only blemish on an otherwise excellent start. The Hoops surrendered a 4-0 aggregate lead in a remarkable 5-4 Champions League qualifying defeat against LASK.
The Hoops boast a dominant recent record in this fixture, though. Celtic scored at least three goals while winning seven of their last nine encounters against the Saints.
St Johnstone vs Celtic Team News
St Johnstone: (4-3-3) Toby Steward; Liam Smith, Zach Mitchell, Cheick Diabate, Enes Alic; Sam Stanton, Reece McAlear, Jason Holt; Taylor Steven, Josh Fowler, Kai Fotheringham
St Johnstone have only one reported injury concern. Jamie Gullan is doubtful after he was forced off during the first half of Sunday's victory against Hibernian.
Fotheringham replaced Gullan against Hibs and is likely to start on the left.
Josh Fowler is certain to lead the line after scoring four goals in his first five Premiership appearances.
Danny Schmidt and Joel Cotterill could come into the side should head coach Valakari opt to stiffen up his selection.
The Finnish boss praised his team's commitment to the attacking approach that brought them promotion last season.
Valakari praised St Johnstone’s resilience after securing a hard-earned win against Hibernian.
“You have to play to your strengths. We’ve built the team to play this way. It would be very stupid and naive to move away from our style because it is our strength. At the same time, we need to be able to hide our weaknesses.
“Today, in the second half, we didn’t want to go that deep and defend our box, but we needed to do it to get the result.
“They are a very good Hibs side. We needed something concrete to back up our performances, and that’s why this feels like a big result.”
Celtic: (4-2-3-1) Viljami Sinisalo; Colby Donovan, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales; Callum McGregor, Mika Baur; Haissem Hassan, Benjamin Nygren, Sebastian Tounekti; Camilo Duran
Celtic have five confirmed absentees for the trip to Perth. Jota, Alistair Johnston, Kasper Hogh, Kieran Tierney and Callum Osmand miss out with various injury issues.
Yang Hyun-jun is set to miss the trip to Perth after joining South Korea's Asian Games squad. Tounekti is the most likely replacement after a second-half substitute appearance at St Mirren.
O'Neill has several new faces available this week. Shumaira Mheuka is pushing for his first start after making his debut at St Mirren.
Fellow deadline day arrivals Sam Johnstone, Jordan Lotomba and Joel van den Berg are also available for the visitors.
O'Neill was pleased to escape Paisley with the points but acknowledged that Celtic lacked their usual fluency.
"I'm delighted that we've won the game. St Mirren played really splendidly as we thought they would do and caused us loads and loads of problems.
"We did create a number of chances. I thought that perhaps we didn't have the fluency that we've had in other games. On the break, we were very, very dangerous.
"Overall, there were some sparkling moments from us and some moments where we had a total contrast. We took the game in the end. I think for the chances we created probably deserved it, but we can improve."
Verdict
St Johnstone deserve respect after winning both of their first two home league matches, but Celtic should prove a considerable step up in quality.
Celtic/over 2.5 goals is my preferred pick, while the hosts can bring up the BTTS selection.
Celtic/over 2.5 goals is my preferred pick, while the hosts can bring up the BTTS selection.
Celtic/Over 2.5 Goals
Result/Total Goals
@9/10 - 4 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
with bonus code NEWBONUS
Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad
BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals
Both Teams to Score/Total Goals
@20/21 - 3 Units
Bet £10 Get £10
Promo Code: NEWBONUS
New customers only. Bet £10+ to receive £10 in Free Bets. 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
A huge fan of the goal markets, he specialises in BTTS and over 2.5 goal picks from the MLS to the Bundesliga and beyond.
Top Betting Sites
Betting offers
Upcoming Events
30 August 2026
31 August 2026
- US Open 2026 -
- Tennis
04 September 2026
- Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 -
- Basketball
Load More
Sports Tips Starts in
Today's Acca Tips
-
Soccer tips
-
Tennis tips
