Celtic vs Hibs LIVE: 3-1 win as it happened, highlights, reaction, cup draw

Thanks and goodbye

That’s all from us for another week of winning Celtic football. Thanks for joining us throughout the day, we’ll be back soon with more live coverage of the rampant, reigning Scottish champions!

Brendan Rodgers on Celtic vs Hibs

The manager was delighted post-match, stating: “I thought we were very good. I thought we were excellent from the start of the game – we showed our hunger. We said before the game that our playmaker today would be our counter-pressing and our counter-pressing was there. We were winning so many second and third balls.

“Our only real danger was from throw-ins. They’ve got guys on either side of the pitch that can throw it in and add a little bit of pressure and make you fret a little bit. We dealt well with that. We didn’t give too much away. Their header was a great header.

“Overall the tempo in the game, the speed in the game, the quality in the attacking moments was fantastic.”

Celtic draw Falkirk

Celtic will play at home to Falkirk on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd September with full fixture details of the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals to be confirmed in the coming days.

The rest of the draw was:

Motherwell vs Dundee United
Aberdeen vs Spartans
Rangers vs Dundee

Quarter-Final draw coming up

Celtic are the last team into the hat with that victory joining Dundee, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Spartans, Rangers, Motherwell and Dundee United.

The draw is coming up shortly and we’ll have all the news as it happens.

Watch all the Celtic goals from Sunday’s win

Daizen Maeda got the scoring underway within four minutes after latching onto Reo Hatate’s low cross.

The Japanese star was at it again 11 minutes later, latching on to a brilliant Nicolas Kuhn ball forward to prod home under the Hibs goalkeeper.

It was Nicolas Kuhn who restored the Bhoys’ two-goal advantage early in the second half, capitalising on some disastrous defensive passing.

FULL-TIME: Celtic 3-1 Hibernian

Celtic are through to the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup after a confident and comfortable win over Hibs.

Bar a brief ten-or-so-minute spell in the first half, the Bhoys were in full control of this one and undoubtedly deserved the victory.

A classy double from Daizen Maeda had the home side ahead at the interval before Nicolas Kuhn scored the third early in the second half to prevent any late drama.

It still feels like the Bhoys are yet to click into top gear but it looks so easy domestically.

Brendan Rodgers’ side will fear nobody in the next round and will fancy booking a spot at Hampden for the semi-final.

CHANCE CELTIC!

It doesn’t take Luis Palma long to get involved. He has plenty of space on the edge of the box to get a shot off.

He’ll be disappointed not to work the goalkeeper. He perhaps could have shown a bit more composure to take the ball further into the penalty area, too.

Celtic substitutions

Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate get an excellent ovation from the fans, replaced by Luis Palma and Paulo Bernardo for the final ten minutes.

The final 15 minutes

The clock ticks towards 90 minutes and it’s all Celtic at the moment. There aren’t massive amounts of clear-cut chances being created but the Bhoys are dangerous in possession.

Adam Idah looks desperate to net a debut goal and open his account after a chunky transfer fee brought him back to Glasgow.

Daizen’s double

He very rarely lets Celtic down. Thrust into the centre-forward position after Kyogo’s shoulder problem, Daizen Maeda hit an excellent first-half double to make the required impact.

Celtic substitution

Daizen Maeda’s hard work is done for the day, replaced by South Korean Hyunjun Yang.

We’re into the final 20 minutes at Celtic Park.

Watch Celtic capitalise on calamity

Here’s a video of that third Bhoys goal, resulting from good Celtic pressure and disastrous Hibs possession.

CELTIC CHANCE!

Matt O’Riley forces Josef Bursik into a low left-hand save with a shot from distance after excellent Celtic counter-pressure again wins back possession in the final third.

It hasn’t been an action-packed second half but Celtic look comfortable and continue to look for openings.

The Bhoys are capable of adding to the scoreline here.

Adam Idah’s home

Celtic’s new big-money signing Adam Idah gets a fantastic reception from the home crowd as he comes into the match for winger James Forrest in the 60th minute.

Daizen Maeda will move out to the flank with the former Norwich man through the middle.

GOAL! Celtic 3-1 Hibernian

Disaster for Hibs, Celtic’s cushion restored!

Terrible passing in defence from Marvin Ekpiteta – under pressure from Daizen Maeda – back to goalkeeper Josef Bursik sees Nicolas Kuhn close down the Hibs shot-stopper and force the ball into the back of the net.

Celtic’s aggressive nature out of possession pays off again but that was awful from the away side.

Kuhn comes alive again

The winger is harassing the Hibs defence again, flashing down the right flank and firing the ball into the box.

It’s cleared for a corner. The resulting play sees Kuhn get plenty of space on the edge of the box to measure a shot but it goes high.

He arguably should have hit the target – but he just couldn’t quite control it.

Alistair Johnston knock

It takes a lot for the Canadian battler to stay down injured so there’s a bit of concern when he drops to the grass clutching his leg.

The physio staff are on to check on him but he’s up, running about and back in play. We might be seeing Anthony Ralston on shortly as a precaution.

KICK-OFF: Celtic 2-1 Hibernian

There are no substitutions for the Bhoys at half-time as the two teams come back out. Matt O’Riley gets us underway.

Nicolas Kuhn impresses again

The German winger has been excellent in the early stages of the season and that has continued today.

Inventive passes, lightning pace and a real direct style – it’s what you want from a winger and he’s exploited the Hibs defence on multiple occasions, including his lovely assist for Daizen Maeda’s second goal.

Half-time numbers

There are limited stats available today as Opta don’t cover the League Cup in great detail.

However, the numbers show 68% possession for Celtic to Hibs’ 32%.

The Bhoys have had five shots with four on target, also winning five corners.

Hibs have just the one shot on target from two shots in total. They’ve not been able to force a corner but have committed four fouls.

Cruise control to counter-attack battle

Celtic were absolutely cruising midway through the first half. They had the two-goal advantage and continued to pepper the Hibs box with crosses and dangerous passes.

However, Hibs have done well to regroup and show a bit of teeth, sparked by their set-piece goal.

Brendan Rodgers’ side didn’t have an iron grip on possession in the closing 10 or 15 minutes as the game became wide open and ripe for a counter-attacking goal for either side.

The home team are still ahead and you’d fancy them to see this out but they’ll require another goal to prevent this from becoming nervy in the closing stages.

HALF-TIME: Celtic 2-1 Hibernian

Celtic go into the break a goal ahead thanks to a Daizen Maeda double but there’s more work to be done to secure the victory, with Hibs coming back into the match and showing they won’t meekly surrender.

Frustration for Celtic after so much dominance

Hibs have come back into this game and it’s frustrating from a Celtic perspective after such a strong opening half an hour.

The Celtic defence isn’t being battered but Martin Boyle and company are proving to be more of a thorn in the side than they had been.

Approaching half-time, Brendan Rodgers will want to come out of the interval with renewed control on proceedings. It’s all gone a bit scrappy and ragged.

Celtic penalty claim

James Forrest does brilliantly to burst into the box with the ball at his feet before being squeezed to the ground by two Hibs defenders.

There’s a VAR review after Kevin Clancy isn’t convinced but play continues as boos from the home crowd ring out.

GOAL! Celtic 2-1 Hibernian

That’s come from nowhere.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is chided by Kevin Clancy with a yellow card after clattering into Martin Boyle.

The Australian international’s high looping free-kick then catches out the Celtic defence and it’s Mykola Kukharevych who guides a classy header inside the right-hand far post past Kasper Schmeichel.

There’s a VAR check for offside but it stands. Game on.

The Real Slim Shady?

Former Celtic hero Simon Donnelly is enjoying Maeda’s bleach-blonde hairdo – reminiscent of a certain Detroit rapper.

CELTIC CHANCE!

Daizen Maeda is at the centre of things again, rushing into the box to receive a lovely Reo Hatate reverse pass.

He snatches at his shot and it goes over the bar but it’s another sign that Celtic continue to provide danger despite their two-goal cushion.

James Forrest then surges down the left wing and fires in a low cross. Maeda is sniffing for an effort on goal again but the ball just evades him.

Wave upon wave upon wave

We’re halfway through the opening period and it’s been all Celtic. Hibs look lost out there.

The champions are pressing aggressively, showing hunger out of possession and knocking it around in quick, forward-thinking triangles when on the ball.

David Gray will not be happy. And he’ll be worried with over an hour left.

What a Bhoy!

It’s Daizen Maeda’s first start of the season after a pre-season knee injury and he’s already looking dynamite – and I don’t just mean his haircut.

Hibs can’t cope with him right now.

GOAL! Celtic 2-0 Hibernian

The Bhoys are battering Hibs in the early stages and the home side are two up.

Nicolas Kuhn clips a beautiful ball forward for the electric Daizen Maeda. He latches onto it under pressure and coolly slips it under Josef Bursik.

It’s a fantastic finish. Fantastic.

This is ominous for the visitors but superb for a busy Celtic Park!

More Celtic pressure

Nice passing and movement between Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate sees the ball flash across the 18-yard box.

James Forrest is closest to getting onto the end of it for Celtic’s second goal but it just eludes him.

Then, Hatate produces a sumptuous chipped ball for Matt O’Riley to get on the end of but he can’t quite bring it down to find a shot at goal.

Lovely football.

Celtic continue to push

There’s no rest for Hibs with Celtic pushing for a second. They’re recycling possession quickly, passing well and probing at the Edinburgh side.

A couple of corners come to nothing.

Another attack is launched via Alistair Johnston on the right flank but his low cross is dealt with well.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are showing plenty of intent.

GOAL! Celtic 1-0 Hibernian

It’s a goal made in Japan and it’s superb.

Reo Hatate drops into the right channel behind the Hibs defence to receive a Nicolas Kuhn pass and he smartly finds Daizen Maeda in the box with a low cross.

Maeda finishes in his usual fashion – not quite convincingly but enough to get the job done.

The Bhoys are on their way!

Hibs early booking

It’s Hibs who get up the pitch quickly from kick-off, pinning Celtic into the box with a couple of throw-ins.

Nicolas Kuhn eventually breaks free and looks certain to provide a dangerous counter-attack with his blistering pace but he is cynically scythed down by Nathan Moriah-Welsh.

It’s an early booking for the Hibs midfielder.

KICK-OFF: Celtic 0-0 Hibernian

And we’re off! It’s Hibs who get the action underway.

Teams are out

Both sides take the pitch with the usual bit of Celtic Park theatre – Glen Daly and all that!

The fans are up for this one and so am I. There’s a strong crowd today for an early round League Cup clash – far stronger than in other stadiums around Glasgow this weekend.

The Huddle, kick-off and hopefully a strong victory!

Brendan Rodgers provides Kyogo update

The Celtic boss said in a pre-match interview: “We’ve just given his shoulder that bit of extra rest. He’s dealt with this really well over the years going back to his time in Japan.

“Sometimes he gets a knock on it and doesn’t feel too well.

“We didn’t need to risk it on this one so we’ve just taken him out and we’ll see where he is at the beginning of next week.”

Liam Scales pre-match

Speaking ahead of kick-off, the Irish defender noted that Celtic are in a better place than last year’s start of the League Cup.

He said: “It was hard last season. The manager was just in and we were still bonding. We’re ready to make a bigger impact.

“It took us time to gel and once we got games under our belt we got a lot better.

“We learned a bit last week, it was obviously the first time we’d played them this season, but we know today’s a cup game and could be really different.”

Luis Palma’s back

Luis Palma suffered an ankle injury late on against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership opener and missed last week’s match at Easter Road.

Rodgers suggested he could be out for a couple of weeks so it’s great to see him shake that issue off and get himself back involved in the squad.

He’s another strong candidate to come into the game after the interval and test the Hibs defence.

The Honduran is looking to build on a ten-goal and ten-assist debut season.

Today’s match officials

Kevin Clancy is the man in the middle. Frank Connor and Steven Traynor serve as his assistants, with Craig Napier in place as the fourth official on the touchline.

In the VAR booth at Clydesdale House we have Andrew Dallas, who is aided by John McCrossan.

No dramas or controversy today please lads.

There he is

There’s a nice sight. Adam Idah pictured back at Paradise. Only on the bench despite my earlier prediction but he’ll surely get minutes nonetheless. That second-half impact is one to watch.

Matt O’Riley latest

The superb Matt O’Riley is back in the team today and there’s no real sign he will end up leaving the club this summer beyond a rumour or two about big-money interest in England.

In fact, Atalanta appear to have finally gotten the message he isn’t for sale on the cheap – after five rejected bids – and moved on to another midfield target.

Here’s the latest on the situation.

Celtic rebuff serious interest in Matt O’Riley as summer suitor appears to admit defeat

Serie A side Atalanta have had a very public pursuit of Matt O’Riley over the last month or so, making as many as five offers…

Confirmed Hibs team

The verdict on Celtic line-up vs Hibs

There are a few immediate takeaways from today’s squad announcement.

The first is the obvious concern about Kyogo Furuhashi. He didn’t make the squad. It’s known he has a shoulder issue at the moment and, on Friday, Brendan Rodgers suggested he was borderline to feature so hopefully nothing too serious is going on. We’ll get an update on that as soon as it is available.

Adam Idah is on the bench so we should see him in the second half. Daizen Maeda has been preferred through the middle, perhaps due to a lack of Celtic training time for the Republic of Ireland international.

It’s also apparent that Viljami Sinisalo won’t be getting experience as a cup goalkeeper right now. Kasper Schmeichel is firmly in place with the manager naming about as strong an eleven as is available to him.

No gambles are being taken. Rodgers wants the win and his team in the next round.

Confirmed Celtic team

Starting XI – Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, O’Riley, Hatate, Forrest, Kuhn, Maeda.

Substitutes – Sinisalo, Palma, Idah, Yang, Holm, Bernardo, Ralston, Welsh, Turley.

Alistair Johnston interview

Alistair Johnston sat down with Celtic TV earlier this week to deliver his verdict on the opening to the season and what’s ahead for the Bhoys.

Celtic team news coming soon

We’re about 15 minutes away from the official match squad being released.

Brendan Rodgers will go with a strong side but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few changes made to freshen things up and stars such as Daizen Maeda coming in to get game time.

David Gray wants ‘braver’ Hibs at Celtic Park

Hibs boss David Gray has had a tough start to the season losing to both Celtic and St Mirren in the opening weeks without scoring.

He wants to see a different side to his team today, speaking ahead of the visit to Glasgow.

Gray said: “I think Celtic were very good and there’s no getting away from that, but there’s things that we can do to improve, 100%. The first goal, for example, giving yourself a mountain to climb right away.

“Losing a goal in the manner we did, three minutes into the game, gives them a massive lift, gives them a foothold in the game and makes it a really difficult afternoon.

“The areas in which we can improve we’ve already identified, I think I said it straight after the game, sometimes when you speak after the game you then reflect and think ‘Well, did I get that right, was I maybe a wee bit critical there?’ I think, when I look at it back, I still believe we can be miles braver on the ball.

“We didn’t carry enough of a threat and I showed that to the boys, demonstrated areas in which we can be better. And we need to be better, because if we’re not better the same result will happen again. We need to improve. As I said, everyone’s fully aware of that and we’ve worked on that this week.”

Celtic transfer latest

Reports this weekend indicate Celtic are still looking to strengthen as many as five positions in the closing stages of the summer window.

Here’s the latest on the transfer state of play – incoming and outgoing – at the club.

Celtic’s full transfer wishlist in the final two weeks of the summer window, five targeted

Having signed four first-team squad members during the summer months, Celtic haven’t been completely inert when it comes to transfers. There’s been frustration for some…

Scottish League Cup as it stands

Dundee, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Spartans and Rangers all booked their place in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Motherwell vs Kilmarnock and Dundee United vs St Mirren both kick-off at 2pm, with our match being the last of the weekend in round two of the tournament.

The draw for the next round will take place shortly after the full-time whistle at Celtic Park.

Watch the goals from last week

A close-range Nicolas Kuhn effort and an absolute stunner from Callum McGregor delivered the win over Hibs last week.

The first-half display was electric and while the match was a little flat after the interval, it was still an enjoyable affair.

Here are all the highlights of the 2-0 victory.

Welcome home Adam Idah

With nine goals in 19 appearances on loan last season, Adam Idah made a very strong impression on Celtic supporters.

Some of the goals he scored were simply massive in delivering the silverware, none more so than his late winner against Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final.

The signs are good that we’ll see him involved against Hibs today, though whether it’s from the start or the bench remains to be seen.

I’d stick him in the starting eleven and get the ball rolling on his long-term Celtic career.

It’ll be great to have him back on the pitch, especially after such a long transfer saga this summer.

Brendan Rodgers press conference

You can watch the entire press conference from Brendan Rodgers via the club’s official YouTube channel below.

He covered, amongst other topics:

– The daft Rangers misstep when it comes to derby allocations
– The arrival of Adam Idah
– Remaining transfer intent in the window

Celtic ready to make League Cup impact

The manager held his pre-match media conference on Friday and noted that his team is in a much better position than they were at this stage of the tournament a year ago.

He said: “We were disappointed last season but the team’s in a much better place now.

“I look at this season and how we’ve been training and how we’ve been working, and we’ve been able to take that into games.

“This is the next game and it’s the most important one and we want to get through.

“There’s no doubt, we should set that target and want to win every trophy. That’s something we know we have to work very hard to do and that starts on Sunday.”

How to watch Celtic vs Hibs

Today’s match is live on Premier Sports 1 in the UK & Ireland.

Global subscribers to Celtic TV outside of the region will also be able to watch live coverage.

The fixture is being broadcast in a fair few countries around the world outside of that option including on Paramount+ in the United States, beIN Sports 2 in Australia and Disney+ throughout South America.

A full list of worldwide channels can be found via LiveSoccerTV.

Potential Celtic team vs Hibs

We’ll have the confirmed line-ups when they are announced at 1:45pm.

Mikey Johnston is the only confirmed absentee for today’s match, although there have been indications that Kyogo Furuhashi and Alistair Johnston will either miss out or take a place on the bench for this one.

The Japanese striker suffered a shoulder injury last week, which staff are keeping close tabs on.

The game time of the Canadian defender is also being managed after an especially busy summer with his country at the Copa America.

Elsewhere we could see Viljami Sinisalo make a competitive debut, as well as Adam Idah start after his permanent signing through the week.

Predicted Starting XI: Sinisalo, Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, O’Riley, Kuhn, Maeda, Idah.

Celtic Predicted XI vs Hibs with Brendan Rodgers making five changes

Celtic face Hibernian in the second round of the Scottish League Cup on Sunday aiming to right the wrongs of last season’s entry into the…

Welcome

Good afternoon! Celtic match days are something to look forward to right now.

It has been a joy to watch them in the opening stages of the season. The football has been slick, the relationships between the players is blossoming and it’s fair to say fans are feeling hopeful about the future.

Progression into the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup would only reinforce all of that and carry momentum into tougher challenges ahead.

Stay in touch throughout the day with plenty of news and updates to come before, during and after the game.