Celts' Season Starts v Saints
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


Daizen Maeda in action against St Mirren when these sides last met back in May


Celtic Park, Glasgow
Sunday, 3 August 2025
16.30 BST ​

Here we go again!

Celtic kick off their defence of their Premiership crown when they host the visit of Paisley neighbours, St Mirren on tomorrow afternoon.

It has been just 11 weeks since the Hoops played their last League game of the triumphant 2024/25 season, when ironically St Mirren were the visitors to Celtic Park and it took the late dramatics of James Forrest to save the Bhoys' blushes on trophy day.

Now, the Hoops will be looking to win their fifth straight League title (and a 15th in the past 16 seasons), in what could potentially be a tricky third season under the guidance of manager Brendan Rodgers.

Last season there were signs that opponants, both foreign and domestic, had devised ways of adapting to and countering the Irishman's preferred tactics since his return in 2023 - which mirrored a similiar trend during his first stint in charge also.

Hopefully Rodgers has taken steps to address this in conjunction with the freshening up of the squad (with the prospect of further additions still to come) for the campaign ahead.

And as far as the League is concerned, it all starts where it left off last season - at home to St Mirren. Make no mistake, the pressure will be on from the first whistle. Here we go again, indeed!


Flag Day in Paradise: The raising of the Champions flag for 2024/25 will proceed the match

While this is the first competitive match for the Bhoys this seaosn, the visitors have already progressed undefeated through their League Cup group, having secured 3 wins and a draw to ensure their place in the knockout phase.

The Saints have continued to impress since Stephen Robinson took charge in February 2022, as they have consistently punched above their weight over the past few seasons.

In fact, despite often having to regularly overhaul his squad and contend with numerous off field issues, Robinson has guided them to 3 consecutive top half finishes over the past 3 seasons - something that the Paisley club had not done in over 40 years!

And although they finished 6th last season, make no mistake the Buddies will fight all the way to the end. Simply finishing in the top half was not enough, as they still had a point to prove, before going undefeated after the Split last season, which again speaks to the character of the Paisley club under Robinson.

The Celtic defence will need to be mindful of the inform duo of Killian Phillips and Mikeal Mandron, both of whom have already netted 4 goals this season.


May: Forrest's late goal v St Mirren extended his streak of scoring in every season since 2009/10

Stats & Facts​

• The Hoops are undefeated in the past 13 meetings overall between these sides, since Sept 2022 (W11 D2).

• On the opening day of the Premiership campaign, the Bhoys have kicked off with a win in 16 of the past 17 seasons (W16 D0 L1) and remain undefeated at Celtic Park on the first day of the League season since 1950.

• St Mirren are also enjoying an unbeaten run of form across their last 10 competitive matches overall (W6 D4), and in fact have lost just once since the beginning of March (W7 D5 L1).

KT's Back in the Hoops! Tierney is set to make his first competitive appearance since his return

Team News

Coming into this season, Jota (ACL) remains the only notable absentee, with the winger set to remain sidelined for approximately another 4-5 months.

It is highly likely that there will be a number of players making their debut for the Celts at the weekend and a first chance to make an impression the Parkhead faithful. While the return of Keiran Tierney has generated the most attention, the likes of Benjamin Nygren and Shin Yamada will also be looking to make their mark also.​

As for the visitors, there has once again been a sizeable turnover of playing staff as Robinson looks to rebuild the Buddies squad. While the likes of Shamal George, Richard King and Jayden Richardson have already begun to make establish themselves, it will be interesting to see if Malik Dijksteel, who joined in the last couple of days, will be picked.

Referee: Don Robertson

Having made his Premiership debut in 2014, Robertson has risen through the ranks to the point where he ended last season as Scotland's top rated referee, having narrowly edged ahead of Nick Walsh, and it will be interesting to see how the 38y.o. sets the benchmark for the season ahead.

Overall Record
M:45 W:37 D:5 L:3

VAR: Greg Aitken

Weather

The Glasgow forecast is for light rain that should clear before kick-off with a moderate breeze and about 19°C.



~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P:306 W:214 D:50 L:42​

Last 5 Meetings
D W W W W

~~~~ 2025/26 Form ~~~~

All Comps
N/A ~ W W W D​