I think Celtic look well worth backing to come out on top when they face Falkirk on Saturday evening. While this is far from a vintage Celtic side, they have been steady operators at home under Martin O’Neill’s watch, winning eight of their nine Scottish Premiership matches this season.

Two of those victories came against Falkirk, and Celtic also won away from home against the Bairns earlier in the campaign. On top of that, Celtic dumped Falkirk out of the Scottish League Cup at Parkhead back in August.

While Falkirk have excelled on their return to the Scottish Premiership this season, they come into this clash on a real downer after losing a Scottish Cup semi-final to arch-rivals Dunfermline on penalties last week.

On top of that, John McGlynn’s side were soundly beaten 6-3 by Rangers in their last top-flight outing, which hardly inspires confidence ahead of another meeting with Old Firm opposition.

Falkirk are not the type of side likely to go to Celtic Park on Saturday and simply shut up shop in search of a draw. In fact, John McGlynn’s men will almost certainly stick to their attacking principles, which brings over 2.5 goals firmly into the equation.

That bold approach was evident in the Bairns' last top-flight outing, which was a barnstorming 6-3 home defeat to Rangers. That means seven of Falkirk’s last 11 Scottish Premiership matches have featured over 2.5 goals, including each of the previous three.

As for Celtic, they have seen over 2.5 goals click in a league-high 21 of their 33 Scottish Premiership matches this season, including 11 of their 16 home games. 

The Hoops are more than capable of covering the over 2.5 line on their own on Saturday evening, as they have done in two of their previous three home meetings with Falkirk this season.

On the other hand, the hosts have looked shaky at the back at times throughout the campaign, so attack-minded Falkirk are also more than capable of getting on the scoresheet. With all that in mind, a minimum of three goals should be well within range at Celtic Park.

If Celtic are to go on and reclaim the Scottish Premiership title, they will have Benjamin Nygren to thank in no small part. The Swedish attacking midfielder broke through the 20-goal barrier during last weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final victory over St Mirren.

Notably, 15 of those 20 strikes have come in the Scottish Premiership this season. On top of that, Nygren has also chipped in with 8 assists for good measure.

The 24-year-old will certainly be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a Falkirk side he has caused real problems for throughout the campaign. In fact, Nygren has notched in each of Celtic’s previous three Scottish Premiership meetings with the Bairns this season, two of which came at Celtic Park.

It is also worth noting that he registered an assist in one of those matches, which only strengthens the case for another goal involvement here against a Falkirk side that shipped six goals in their last league outing.

Brad Spencer should have plenty of defensive work to get through at Celtic Park on Saturday evening, with the Falkirk midfielder typically operating as the more deep-lying of the two in the Bairns engine room. While Spencer is averaging 1.28 fouls per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, that figure does not tell the full story, as his foul output has been on the rise in recent weeks.

In fact, the 29-year-old was guilty of no fewer than three offences during Falkirk’s 6-3 defeat to Rangers a fortnight ago, and he also overstepped the mark three times in a recent away day at Aberdeen, as well as committing two fouls in the Bairns’ last road match at Motherwell. Spencer’s tendency to fall foul of the referee is further highlighted by his disciplinary record, having picked up 11 yellow cards in 42 appearances across all competitions this season.

He is likely to be in direct battle with the aforementioned Benjamin Nygren, who draws an average of 1.48 fouls per game in the Scottish Premiership this season and has been fouled multiple times in two of his previous three meetings with Falkirk in the top-flight this term.