Sunday, August 3rd, at Celtic Park, the reigning Scottish champions Celtic officially kick off the new season by hosting St. Mirren in Matchday 1 of the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership. Brian Rodgers’ men come into this campaign off the back of a fourth consecutive league title and the 14th in the past 15 years – numbers that confirm their domestic dominance. Having finished last season 17 points clear of second place, Celtic are once again the clear favourites to claim their 56th Scottish Premiership title. Last season, they racked up 92 points, scored 112 goals, and conceded just 26 in 38 games – pure dominance. The only blemish in an otherwise flawless season came in the Champions League, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Bayern Munich – hardly an upset considering the opposition. In terms of transfers, it’s been a quiet summer. The most notable departure is winger Nicholas Kühn, who scored 10 goals and provided 8 assists last season before moving to Como. St. Mirren, on the other hand, approach the new season with more modest ambitions. Their minimum goal is a solid mid-table finish while staying well clear of the relegation zone. They’ll also look to impress in domestic cup competitions, especially after progressing from the new single-group stage in the League Cup just days ago. While on paper this looks like a straightforward win for Celtic, it’s worth noting that early-season fixtures can be tricky, even for title contenders. That's why Rodgers’ side will aim to start the 2025/26 campaign with full focus and intensity to avoid an early slip-up.

 

Celtic's Recent Form and Key Stats

After clinching the Scottish Premiership title well ahead of schedule, Celtic’s pre-season has been somewhat inconsistent. Rodgers’ side did grab solid wins such as 2-0 vs Sporting and 4-0 vs Newcastle, but also suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Ajax in the Como Cup. They wrapped up pre-season with a penalty shootout win over Al Ahli, after drawing 1-1 in regular time.

Celtic absolutely dominated the 2024/25 Premiership, thanks largely to their explosive attack: 112 goals in 38 matches, averaging 2.95 goals per game. Defensively, they were just as solid, with only 0.7 goals conceded per game and 21 clean sheets.

The 55-time Scottish champions are nearly unbeatable at home – their last 14 league games at Celtic Park saw 12 wins, 1 draw, and only 1 loss.

 

St. Mirren's Recent Form and Key Stats

St. Mirren were active in July during the League Cup group stage, managing to qualify for the knockout rounds. Stephen Robinson’s men topped their group with 10 points from 3 wins and a shootout loss (which still counts as a point in the standings). Across those 4 matches, they averaged 3 goals scored and 1 conceded per game.

Last season, the Saints showed solid attacking output (1.4 goals per game) but their defense proved shaky, conceding an average of 1.6 goals per match and keeping only 7 clean sheets. The 5 red cards they picked up in the 2024/25 Premiership reflect their physical, no-nonsense style of play.

 

Celtic vs St. Mirren Prediction and Tactical Overview

Given what we saw last season, Celtic are heavy favourites to beat St. Mirren in this opening round of the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership. The home side only lost one league game at Celtic Park last year, and that came in the final stretch after they had already secured the title.

Another positive sign for the hosts is their head-to-head record: Celtic have won eight of their last ten home games against St. Mirren. The visitors’ last away win at Celtic Park came back in the 2020/21 season. Their most recent meeting in May ended 1-1, but Celtic had nothing to play for, having already clinched the title.

The Celtic vs St. Mirren prediction from BetMines suggests that at least one team will fail to score. Given Celtic’s expected dominance, the most likely scenario is a clean sheet for the home side, who conceded just 9 goals at home last season – a stingy average of 0.47 per match.

As for potential key players, keep an eye on Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah, who scored 16 and 8 goals respectively last Scottish Premiership.

• Celtic vs St. Mirren Prediction by BetMines: Celtic to win (1) – 68%
  
  
• Celtic vs St. Mirren Prediction by BetMines: Both teams to score – No – 53%

 

Probable Lineups Celtic vs St. Mirren

CELTIC (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Johnston, Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Engels, Bernardo, Hatate; Hyun-Jun, Idah, Maeda.
Manager: B. Rodgers

ST. MIRREN (3-5-2): George; Fraser, Gogic, King; Richardson, Philips, O'Hara, Taylor, John; Mandron, Idowu.
Manager: S. Robinson