Seeking just a second away victory from their last five matches, Scottish Premiership holders Celtic continue the defence of their crown away to Dundee at Dens Park on Boxing Day.

Brendan Rodgers's men secured a 2-0 victory over Livingston over the weekend, while the hosts' proposed showdown with Aberdeen was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

Match preview

With only 53 minutes to go until kickoff between Dundee and Aberdeen, referee David Munro decided that the Dens Park surface was unplayable and postponed Tony Docherty's reunion with the club whom he spent eight years working for as an assistant manager.

While fans were left fuming at the last-minute decision, some members of Dundee's playing staff may have been grateful for a weekend off ahead of the visit of the perennial champions, and Docherty's team have also had more time to revel in their dramatic late success over Ross County on December 16.

The Dingwall affair was seemingly destined to end goalless, only for an episode of injury-time pinball, as Luke McCowan's free kick struck the post, deflected off Alex Samuel and fell kindly for captain Joe Shaughnessy to chest the ball into the back of the net from a yard out.

Unrestrained celebrations erupted among the Dundee faithful, some of whom invaded the field amid the pandemonium, as Dundee ended a three-game losing run in the Scottish Premiership to cement a respectable seventh-placed ranking in the table with games in hand on their top-half foes.

Fourth-placed Kilmarnock - who have played three more matches than Dundee - are only six points better off than Docherty's side at this juncture, and Shaughnessy's unorthodox winner against Ross County stretched the hosts' scoring streak to six matches since a 5-0 home thumping against Rangers on November 1.

Hoping to match the Dens Park feats of their Old Firm rivals, Celtic had a few wrongs to right when they welcomed Livingston to their Parkhead base on Saturday, having suffered a humbling home defeat at the hands of Hearts after ending their Champions League campaign with a morale-boosting beating of Feyenoord.

Discontent was evident as David Martindale's side held out until the break, but mere seconds after the restart, Kyogo Furuhashi stole in at the back post to break the deadlock, before Liam Scales's deft header with his back to goal sealed the deal.

Thanks to a playmaking masterclass from Honduras attacker Luis Palma, who registered his seventh and eighth assists of the new term against Livingston, Celtic opened up a five-point cushion over Rangers at the top of the division, but that lead has now been cut down to two owing to the Gers' win over Motherwell on Sunday.

Furthermore, Rangers still boast a game in hand over their Old Firm rivals, but Rodgers can only focus on the task at hand on Boxing Day, where Celtic will aim to snap the inconsistent streak which has seen the Bhoys win one then lose one across their last five matches in all competitions.

Three of the champions' last four away games have also ended in defeat, although two of them came to European titans Lazio and Atletico Madrid, and they also boast a seven-game winning streak against Dundee, whose solitary victory in this fixture came all the way back in May 2001.

Team News

Prior to Dundee's slender success over Ross County, the Dark Blues lost defender Antonio Portales to a hamstring injury in their 3-1 loss to Rangers on December 9, and the Mexican will spend between 10 and 12 weeks recuperating.

Portales's countryman Diego Pineda has also missed the hosts' last four Scottish Premiership matches and is doubtful for Boxing Day alongside Lee Ashcroft and Marcel Lewis, but the extended rest period will benefit their chances of returning to the fold.

In brighter news, Liverpool-owned defender Owen Beck played the full 90 against Ross County after shaking off a groin concern and will be expected to take his rightful place in an unaltered 3-5-2 system.

As for Celtic, Liel Abada and James McCarthy are not expected to return from their respective thigh concerns before the New Year rolls around, and the latter's fellow midfielder Tomoki Iwata also missed the visit of Livingston with the injury he sustained against Feyenoord.

Updates on Iwata's condition have been scarce, but his fellow Japanese lynchpin Reo Hatate is now back in training following a hamstring problem, although Rodgers may avoid risking him on Boxing Day with an Old Firm clash against Rangers on December 30 on the horizon.

Odin Thiago Holm's illness has reduced Celtic's midfield options further, but on a more positive note, Hyunjun Yang came off the bench for the final 20 minutes against Livingston after shaking off a shoulder concern.

Dundee possible starting lineup:
Carson; Donnelly, Lamie, Shaughnessy; McGhee, Cameron, McGowan, Boateng, Beck; Bakayoko, Robinson

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O'Riley, McGregor, Bernardo; Maeda, Furuhashi, Palma

We say: Dundee 0-2 Celtic

A well-rested Dundee command plenty of respect from their visitors as they try to launch an assault on the European places, and a few Celtic eyes may already be fixed on the impending visit of Rangers.

However, it has been over 22 years since Celtic were bested by their Boxing Day hosts, and while inconsistency is still a major problem for Rodgers's side, they should encounter few obstacles en route to victory this week.


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