Celtic are heading to Hampden on Sunday for a possibly morale-boosting Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren.
The stakes are incredibly high as Martin O’Neill aims to keep up Celtic’s hopes of securing a domestic double during a campaign of pure chaos.
Ahead of the crucial tie, 67 Hail Hail writers have gathered to offer their thoughts on how the game will unfold.
Interestingly, despite Celtic’s recent struggles at Hampden, our writers are in complete agreement about the end result, including Kelechi Iheanacho being tipped to score a brace.
Have Celtic lost their fear factor?
Join the debate, Celtic fans…
Martin Crawford
Celtic will be lucky to get away with a performance similar to any of our previous ones against St Mirren this season. In the past, we’ve come alive at Hampden towards this time of year, but the jury is out for this squad.
Prediction: I’m going to back Benjamin Nygren and Iheanacho to score in a 2-1 Celtic win
Callum Boyle
Semi-finals are always tense, and as we saw last week, St Mirren aren’t easy to break down. We’re at a point where performances don’t matter; just get the win.
We need revenge for the Premier Sports Cup final disaster, and I back O’Neill’s expertise to get us over the line.
Prediction: Celtic 2-0 St Mirren
Paddy Sinat
Business end of the season, and there is plenty on the line for Celtic. This will be another tense and tight game with Celtic under pressure not just to deliver a win, but a performance.
Prediction: Extra-time beckons for me, and I think it will be a nervy 2-1 win for the Hoops.
Amir Mir
It has become the norm for Celtic’s clashes with St Mirren to be a gruelling watch, even when the Hoops ultimately grind out a result – and I don’t expect this semi-final showdown to be any different.
While last week’s Premiership clash certainly caused some lingering anxiety at Parkhead, especially in the second half, what gives me hope is that Viljami Sinisalo wasn’t exactly forced to pull off save after save.
Looking ahead to this Hampden clash, I expect O’Neill to hand Iheanacho a starting role, and his physical presence up top will make a massive impact. Even if he is just able to get 60 minutes in his legs, I fully expect the striker to be the ultimate difference-maker.
Prediction: 3-1 Celtic, with an Iheanacho brace and Luke McCowan also getting on the scoresheet.
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