Celtic vs Dunfermline – News and Probable Lineups

Celtic and Dunfermline Athletic are set to meet at Hampden Park on Saturday afternoon for the Scottish FA Cup final.

The Bhoys secured a convincing 6-2 victory against St Mirren in their previous round, while the Pars overcame Falkirk 4-2 on penalties during their semi-final encounter.

Match overview

On Saturday, Celtic has the chance to achieve a domestic double, stepping into the Scottish FA Cup final following a thrilling conclusion to the Scottish Premiership season.

After Martin O’Neill took over as interim manager in January – following a rough period under Wilfried Nancy – Celtic went on a stellar run in the league.

The Bhoys achieved 13 wins, drew two, and lost two out of their subsequent 17 league matches, gradually narrowing the gap on the leaders of the Scottish Premiership and ultimately setting up a title-deciding match against Hearts on the final day.

A dramatic conclusion to the league campaign saw Celtic net a winner in the 87th minute, followed by Callum Osmand clinching a fifth consecutive league title with a goal in the 98th minute.

In addition to claiming the league title, Celtic now has the opportunity to enrich their trophy cabinet further by defeating Auchinleck Talbot, Dundee, Rangers, and St Mirren to reach the Scottish FA Cup final.

Celtic is undoubtedly favored to lift the trophy, heading into this match with a sequence of eight consecutive wins, while Dunfermline Athletic’s form has dipped in the final weeks of the season.

Dunfermline Athletic has managed to win just one of their past five games, suffering a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Partick Thistle in the second leg of their playoff semi-final.

This loss marked a 3-2 aggregate defeat, eliminating Dunfermline Athletic’s hopes of promotion from the Scottish Championship to the Premiership.

Nonetheless, the Pars will look back fondly on their remarkable Scottish FA Cup run, where they triumphed over Queen of The South, Hibernian, Kelty Hearts, Aberdeen, and Falkirk to make it to the final.

They will also draw inspiration from last season’s Scottish FA Cup final, where underdogs Aberdeen managed to take Celtic to a penalty shootout, winning 4-3.

Furthermore, there is extra motivation for manager Neil Lennon, who will face Celtic – the club where he achieved considerable success both as a player and boss.

Team News

Celtic will be without Tomas Cvancara, Colby Donovan, Julian Araujo, Kasper Schmeichel, Adam Montgomery, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Jota due to injury issues.

Kelechi Iheanacho scored the winner against Motherwell after coming off the bench and significantly impacted the second half against Hearts, and he could be rewarded with a starting position here.

This would likely see Daizen Maeda shift to the left side of the attack, while the rest of the lineup is expected to remain unchanged from the team that won against the Jambos.

Meanwhile, Dunfermline Athletic will miss Graham Carey, Freddie Turley, Zak Rudden, Olly Thomas, and Ewan Otoo due to injuries.

Aston Oxborough was controversially called back by Motherwell before Dunfermline’s second leg against Partick Thistle, but the goalkeeper has since returned and is set to start in the final.

Celtic probable starting XI:

Sinisalo; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Engels; Hyun-Jun, Nygren, Maeda; Iheanacho

Dunfermline Athletic probable starting XI:

Oxborough; Mullen, Ngwenya, Fraser; Kearney, Gilmour, Amade, Todd; Morrison, Kane, Tod

While Dunfermline Athletic will hope to pull off a surprise, Celtic enters the final in excellent form and confidence, and it is believed that the quality of the Bhoys will prove too challenging for the Pars to handle.