Celtic vs Dundee Preview: Champions Open Their Title Defense

Celtic vs Dundee: Preview, Lineups and Prediction

Kickoff: Monday, August 3 — 2:30 p.m. local (UK) Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow

Celtic open the defense of their Scottish Premiership title at home to Dundee on Monday evening, closing out the opening weekend of the 2026-27 season as reigning champions look to build early momentum in a title race that came down to the final day last time out.

The Situation

Celtic go into the new campaign off the back of a dramatic finish to 2025-26, clinching a record 56th league title with a 3-1 win over Hearts on the final day, Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand all on the scoresheet. Martin O’Neill’s side completed a domestic double by beating Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup final, though a League Cup final defeat to St Mirren means the treble eluded them. Pre-season has been underwhelming by comparison: Celtic remain winless in four friendlies, salvaging a 2-2 draw with AC Milan at Parkhead in their final warm-up match.

Dundee arrive having secured Premiership survival for a fourth consecutive year, finishing eighth on 42 points and signing off with a 3-2 win over Aberdeen. Steven Pressley’s side enjoyed a strong finish to last season and have been busy in the transfer market over the summer, adding six new faces as they look to push further up the table.Every Confirmed Character in Avengers: Doomsday

Expected Lineups

Celtic’s summer business has been modest — just two signings, both attacking options. Colombian forward Camilo Durán arrives from Qarabag, while Danish striker Kasper Høgh joins in a club-record £11 million deal from Bodø/Glimt after scoring 54 goals in 103 appearances there, though his debut availability remains uncertain. Jota and Johnny Kenny are both unavailable through injury, and with no permanent replacement signed for departed goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Viljami Sinisalo takes over as first-choice between the posts. A predicted lineup: Sinisalo; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Engels, McCowan; Forrest, Tounekti, Durán.

Dundee’s new arrivals include goalkeeper Owen Goodman on loan from Crystal Palace, left-back Idris Odutayo from Bromley, centre-back Owen Bevan from Bournemouth, and midfielder Ryan Finnigan from Blackpool. Imari Samuels (MCL injury) and Callum Jones (recovering from ankle surgery) are unavailable. Simon Murray, who scored twice during the League Cup group stage, leads the line: Goodman; Wright, Halliday, Astley, Donnelly, Odutayo; Finnigan, Hamilton, Žan Bešir; Hay, Murray.10 Football Documentaries Every Fan Needs to Watch at Least Once

Head-to-Head

Celtic’s dominance in this fixture has been overwhelming in recent years — 14 wins from the last 17 meetings, and eight from the last nine specifically at Celtic Park, where Dundee have won just 12 times in 127 all-time visits. The counterpoint worth noting: Dundee did beat Celtic 2-0 as recently as October 2025, courtesy of a Clark Robertson strike and a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal, and Murray himself has twice scored against Celtic in the past, including a penalty the last time these sides met over the Easter period.

Prediction

Betting models put Celtic’s win probability above 60%, and with home advantage, a superior squad, and Dundee still working in several new signings, a routine win for the champions looks the most likely outcome. Recent meetings between these sides have rarely been short of goals — the last ten have averaged 3.6 per game — so expect Celtic to open their title defense with a comfortable, front-foot victory.