Only the issue of fourth place remains to be resolved in the Scottish Premiership and it’s a straight shoot-out between Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibs to see who gets the last guaranteed European spot the league has to offer.
Fifth place will still be good enough for a crack at the Europe Conference League if Celtic win the Scottish Cup, denying Championship side Inverness a route in to Europe. That scenario would see third-placed Aberdeen take the Europa League spot with fourth and fifth gaining entry to the Conference.
Whilst Hearts were nicking a point at the death at Ibrox on Wednesday Hibs were taking advantage of Celtic’s free-wheeling end to the season, winning 4-2 at Easter Road.
That’s kept the Hibees in the hunt but they must win today to leapfrog the Jambos and claim the capital’s bragging rights.
But Hearts have found a bit of form lately and will be out to avenge a 1-0 defeat to Hibs last month. With Lawrence Shankland in fine goalscoring form (six goals in five games) the 21/20 on the home should be the way to go.
Celtic will be presented with their 11th Premiership trophy in 12 years after their lunchtime date with Aberdeen.
Ange Postecoglou will be fizzing with the Bhoys’ performances since wrapping up the title though. The Hoops have won just one point from nine and going further back just five from 15 available. The Aussie will be desperate for a return to form before next week’s final turns in to an even bigger banana skin.
Aberdeen’s work is done for the season and few would’ve predicted a third place finish with a game to spare after their 6-0 mauling at Easter Road which left them in the bottom half of the table and ended Jim Goodwin’s tenure as manager back in January.
The Dons spoiled Celtic’s title party back in 2018 when they ran out 1-0 winners against Brendan Rodgers side but it’s inconceivable that the Hoops will go four without a win.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Postecoglou went as full-strength as injuries will allow in order to warm-up for next week and to give the fans who’ll be in celebratory mode something to cheer on the pitch.
With that in mind a quick start for the Hoops could be on the cards and Over 1.5 First Half Goals look backable at 10/11.
Championship Play-Off
South of the border there’s the small matter of the match dubbed the richest game in football.
According to Delloite the winners of the Championship Play-Off could be set for an increase in revenue of over £200million. No pressure then.
Both Coventry City and Luton Town have been beset by financial issues in recent decades so for whoever wins it’ll be a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for either of England’s oldest clubs.
Luton narrowly missed out on participating in the first-ever Premier League campaign following relegation in 1992, the season before it all began, and they’ve never made it back to the top flight since.
As for Coventry, it’s been over 20 years since they’ve dined at England’s top table.
The bookies make the Sky Blues 11/10 outsiders with Luton 8/11 favourites for success at Wembley today.
With so much at stake these games seldom throw up too many goals. The last 10 play-off finals have finished; 1-0, 1-0, 2-0, 1-0, 0-0, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1, 2-0, 1-0
Under 2.5 goals is just 8/15 and no to both teams to score is 8/11 so a better bet might be to take either team to win by a single goal margin at 5/4 (found in bet365 BetBuilder).
Super Single
- Hearts to win 21/20 Bet365
- Celtic v Aberdeen – Over 1.5 First Half Goals 10/11 Bet365
- Coventry v Luton – One Goal winning margin for either team 5/4 Bet365
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
- SlipsTips Tips: St Mirren vs Rangers
- Weekend Predictions: Goal-Heavy Matches in Ligue 2 and Ligue 1, Plus German Sunday Accumulator Tips
- SPFL Tips: Best Bets at Hearts, Motherwell and Kilmarnock
- Sat 12:30 St Mirren vs Rangers
- Sat 12:30 Celtic vs Aberdeen
- Sat 12:30 Hearts vs Hibernian
- Sat 16:45 Coventry City vs Luton Town
- Sun 15:00 Kilmarnock vs Ross County
- Sun 15:00 Motherwell vs Dundee United
- Sun 15:00 St Johnstone vs Livingston
- Sun 16:30 Leicester City vs West Ham United
- Sun 16:30 Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Sun 16:30 Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Sun 16:30 Chelsea vs Newcastle United
Racing Tips
Gregory was a 2pt winner for Rizzel on Friday, he has picked out his three best selections for Saturday’s racing with 2x 2pt fancies.
As always, let us know your best betting tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!
The post Saturday’s Top Tips: Hearts to be Kings of the Castle in Edinburgh appeared first on MrFixitsTips.