Celtic have a firm grip on Aberdeen. The teams have played each other five times previously this season, with Brendan Rodgers’ side winning each of the last four. In the other game, they held a 2-0 lead before being pegged back.

The Glasgow club have been cruising in recent weeks, but they have still put together a run of five wins in seven following a shock loss to St Johnstone.

By contrast, Aberdeen’s form is miserable. They have lost their last four matches, suffering the mental blow of seeing Europa League football via the league slip away and become the Conference League if they fail to win this match.

The atmosphere around the Dons is bad. Defender Jack MacKenzie was hit by a seat thrown by a supporter following last weekend’s poor 2-1 loss away to Dundee United in an incident that will have done squad morale no good.

Aberdeen picked up 92 cards in the Scottish Premiership this season, which was the 2nd highest figure of any team in the league. Trailed only by St Mirren, who saw 104 cards.

The Dons averaged 2.42 cards per match in league play, while that figure might even be expected to increase, given this is a final and there is a trophy at stake.

Jimmy Thelin’s side have seen 18 cards in their five competitive matches against Celtic this term. Aberdeen have only dipped below three cards in each of these individual fixtures on one occasion – when they did not get a single booking in their 5-1 thumping at Celtic Park in February.

Celtic’s opponents picked up the 2nd most cards in Scottish Premiership play this season, with 86, trailing only Motherwell (88). The Hoops’ rivals averaged 2.26 cards per match, further pointing to the likelihood of Aberdeen earning at least a couple of cautions in this clash.

Celtic are the most corner probable Premiership side by a comfortable margin. They picked up an average of 8.76 in the league this season, exactly 2.0 more than any other club.

Aberdeen give up an average of 5.82 corners per game, but that figure rises to 7.26 when playing away from Pittodrie in the league. This figure is the 4th highest figure among Scottish Premiership clubs this season.

The Hoops won an astonishing 38 corners across the four league matches these sides played this season, averaging 9.5 per game. They recorded six or more corners in three of the four matches they played against the Dons.

Celtic come into this match with the aim of closing out a ninth treble for the club, which should give them a focus that sees them play towards their best level.

Rodgers’ side are typically far too good for their domestic opponents. They have won 33 of their 46 Scottish games (71.7%) across all three competitions this season by two or more goals, so they are used to winning by big margins.

The gulf to Aberdeen has been enormous in recent matches. Winning each of the last two against Jimmy Thelin’s side by a 5-1 margin, and while the previous clash was just a 1-0 win to the Glasgow side, they claimed the League Cup semi-final at Hampden 6-0, amply demonstrating their ruthless nature in the process.

Aberdeen come into this game in a fragile state. They have lost each of their last four domestic matches and were dealt a big psychological blow as they lost to Dundee United last weekend.

They have struggled against the big teams in 2025. As well as big losses against Celtic, they have also been beaten 3-0 and 4-0 away to Rangers.

These clubs are at completely opposite ends of the disciplinary table in the Scottish Premiership this season. No team has picked up fewer cards than Celtic’s 33, while only St Mirren have seen more cautions than Aberdeen’s 92 cards.

Celtic’s opponents tend to pick up lots of cards. In league play this season, the Hoops’ opponents earned 86 cards, which is the 2nd-highest figure in the competition.


Jimmy Thelin’s side have accumulated 18 cards against the Parkhead club this season, with the Celts earning just four in return, never getting more than one in a game.

The Dons have earned more cards than their opponents in four of the five fixtures they have played this term.

On loan Tottenham defender Alfie Dorrington has only started once previously against Celtic, but it was a chastening experience as he was sent off against the Hoops, finding the step up to face the champions a difficult challenge.

The Englishman has typically been a clean performer, but the task of facing a team with the pace and physicality of Celtic was one that he struggled with. Adam Idah did not even start on that occasion for the champions, and that matchup promises to be an additional examination for him.

The previous fixture against the Hoops was the greatest challenge for him in terms of starting games, and he came up short.

He has only played 16 first team games in his career, and he was booked when Aberdeen edged Hearts 2-1 in the semi-final last month.

Idah has been in terrific form in recent weeks, scoring five goals in five games, coming up short in just one of those outings despite the fact that he was only on the bench from the beginning twice.

Boasted Celtic’s best scoring rate in the Premiership this season with 0.69 goals per 90.

Idah managed 10 shots, four on target and one goal in 97 minutes v the Dons in the league.

The Dons have conceded 11 goals across their last three fixtures in the league, plus 17 in their last four against Celtic, so it would be a surprise if the in-form centre forward did not get scoring opportunities here.