Celtic embark on their first away trip of the season this weekend as they travel to face Hibernian at Easter Road.
With the encounter pencilled in for 12.30 pm, the Bhoys will be keen for a repeat of their most recent visit to Leith. Back in February, Adam Idah struck twice from 12 yards to guarantee Brendan Rodgers’ men a vital three points.
The Irishman’s exploits that night contributed significantly to Celtic’s title victory. However, they are only beginning their quest for Scottish Premiership glory this time around, so a different proposition lies in store.
Last Sunday, hosts Hibernian got off to a disappointing start in their league opener, losing 3-0 to St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium. Nevertheless, they have added free agents Nicky Cadden and Junior Hoilett to the squad, and the pair could feature against the reigning champions in the capital.
Despite the manner of their loss in Paisley, captain Joe Newell has given an insight into how their dressing room is feeling ahead of Celtic’s journey to Edinburgh.
Joe Newell on facing Celtic this weekend
Cited via The Daily Record, Newell isn’t in the mood to ‘panic’ following their defeat to St Mirren as Hibernian set their sights on an improvement in performance against Celtic this weekend.
He explained: “There’s no panic (ahead of facing Celtic). We’ve got a game next Sunday. It’s our first home game, and there’s a long way to go. But, as captain and as one of the older guys now, it’s about getting that feeling back that it isn’t the end of the world.
“There are a lot of lessons to be learned which we’ll have to learn quickly. Of course, you have to respond quickly because otherwise you’ve got an uphill battle. We saw last year when we lost our first three games, and then you’re climbing.”
Celtic came out victorious in two of their three encounters against the Hibees last season, with the outlier being a 0-0 draw at Easter Road in October 2023.
Celtic need to be at their best to claim Easter Road victory
Notoriously, Easter Road hasn’t been an easy place to claim maximum points from under Rodgers. His first win in Leith came as a result of Idah’s double-penalty salvo mission in February.
On the bright side, the Irishman has removed his unwanted hoodoo. Celtic started the campaign with a thumping 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock and will be expected to continue their ruthless streak.
Kyogo Furuhashi is charged with leading the line, which comes with added responsibility amid the Hoops’ efforts to bring in a secondary striker before the end of the window.
Either way, there are plenty of men in the away dressing room capable of delivering a match-winning moment against Hibernian.
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