GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Celtic's Tomas Cvancara in action during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park, on February 22, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
To be honest, I don’t know where to start here, because the rivalry between Celtic and Hibs has been surprisingly balanced this season. That should not really be the case, but it is. Celtic have struggled to dominate too many games this year, and against Hibs there has been no clear superiority at all.
So let’s remember how these games have gone.
On 27 September 2025 at Celtic Park, it finished 0-0. That was a frustrating afternoon for the Hoops. Celtic dominated possession but could not break down a disciplined Hibs defence. On 30 November 2025 at Easter Road, Celtic won 2-1. I was buzzing that day because Celtic got the result, but let’s be honest, the performance was not quite enough from a club like Celtic. Still, we won, and sometimes that is what matters.
Then came 22 February 2026 at Celtic Park, when Hibs won 2-1. I was gobsmacked by that. Seriously. That should have been Celtic showing power and dominance, not Hibs coming to our house and taking the points. It was a shock result, and Hibernian claimed their first win at Parkhead in years thanks to goals from Felix Passlack and Kai Andrews.
So now the question is simple. Can Celtic win this weekend at Easter Road?
Aye, I think they can.
There is something about a trip to Easter Road that never quite lets you settle. It is not just another away day, not just another set of 90 minutes to tick off. It has a habit of dragging old memories up to the surface, the kind you would rather leave buried, and then daring Celtic to do something about it. A fair few Celtic managers have struggled there.
That is exactly where we find ourselves on 3 May 2026. Celtic walk back into a ground where things have not always gone to plan, facing a Hibs side that has already had its moments against us this season.
There is a symmetry to it, isn’t there? They have taken something from us. Twice. Now we go back into their house with a chance, and an obligation, to take it back.
I won’t pretend this is just another fixture, because I don’t feel that. There is a bite to this one. A wee edge under the surface that makes it more than points on a table. There is a bit of a weirdness to it because Hibs fans don’t want to do Hearts any favours.
I’ll admit it; I want revenge. I want my Celtic Lions to roar with the anger at those past results.
Because I remember the frustration of the earlier games. I remember the disbelief and the sense that Celtic never quite got going the way they should. Then to see Hibs come to Celtic Park and win as well? That lingers. That nags.
So when I look at this game, I don’t just see form, tactics or line-ups.
I see a chance for a correction.
Because here’s the thing. Celtic, for all the noise around them this season, still have levels. Real levels. When they hit them properly, there are not many sides in Scotland that can live with it. We have seen it often enough.
The question, the only question, is whether they choose to show it.
This feels like a big game, even if its second versus fifth. We need a big result, a big response, to show we deserve to be taken seriously in this title race. And I think – no, I feel – that response is coming.
I expect Celtic to carry our recent performances into Easter Road. I expect them to start sharper, move the ball quicker and play with the intent that has been missing at times.
Hibs will make it difficult. They always do there. The crowd gets on top of you. The pitch feels tighter. The game becomes scrappier than you would like. That is their strength. They drag you into a fight and ask if you fancy it.
This time, I think Celtic answer yes.
And I’ll tell you why. Because I don’t think they can afford not to. Not only in a title-race sense, although that matters enormously, but in a psychological one too.
I do not see Celtic strolling this. That is not how Easter Road works. But I do see us controlling more of the game. I see Celtic learning from what has gone before, cutting out the slackness and being more ruthless in the moments that matter.
Maybe that is what it comes down to in the end. Ruthlessness.
Because in those previous meetings, we lacked it. We had moments, spells and chances, but we did not put the game beyond them. Hibs punished us for that, and fair enough. That is football. This time, I think Celtic take those moments.
I can almost picture it. That shift in tempo. The ball moving just that bit quicker. Hibs struggling to get out. The game tilting. The pressure building.
When Celtic get into that rhythm, and when they start to believe in it, they become a different side entirely.
That is the version I expect to see. Not the flat performances of previous games against this Hibs team. One that makes me proud of the Celtic Lions.
Maybe I am leaning into emotion here. But I don’t mind that. Football is emotional, especially games like this. I want a reaction. I want a performance that says, quietly but clearly: that was then, this is now.
So, do I think Celtic win? Aye. I do.
Not comfortably or without moments where your heart is in your mouth. Not without that familiar tension that comes with these away days.
But I think Celtic will find a way. I think they show enough quality, enough edge and enough determination to turn the story around. When the final whistle goes, I think it will feel like more than three points. It will feel like balance restored.
Let my words be magical. Let Celtic win and triumph this Sunday.
People say I’m a witch because I can predict stuff.
So, believe this ginger witch Paulina when she says it: Celtic will win the three points and put the pressure on those rats who think they can take our title away from us.
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I fully agree Paulina, we will win the game and although I don’ have your mystical powers I am fairly confident of a positive outcome. In the previously article James mentioned Celtic’s predictability, but that cuts both ways as Hibs are just as predictable. The team who will get the upper hand on Sunday, all things being equal, is the team with the better quality players, and that has got to be us.
COYBIG
Need to watch The Hi-Bees twelfth man and his four wingmen…
He’s a bad yin is this yin !
I’m not overly confident about this match,but i believe you’re a witch…so thanks in advance for the 3 points lol