Aberdeen and Celtic will go head-to-head in the Scottish Cup final this weekend. Celtic are the favourites to win at Hampden Park, with Aberdeen looking to cause a shock.
The pressure is all on Brendan Rodgers’ team, for whom a defeat would be a huge disappointment. Aberdeen, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. Who will triumph?
Aberdeen vs Celtic best bets
- Celtic -1.5 Asian handicap – 19/20 with bet365
- Celtic/Celtic half-time/full-time – 10/11 with Sky Bet
- Adam Idah to score any time – 13/10 with Ladbrokes
Aberdeen vs Celtic odds
Find the latest Aberdeen vs Celtic betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.
Aberdeen vs Celtic predictions
The Scottish season concludes in traditional fashion this weekend, as Aberdeen meet Celtic at Hampden Park in the final of the Scottish Cup.
Rewind to the first few months of the season and it looked like these two teams might be competing for silverware in the Premiership too.
Aberdeen came flying out of the traps, winning 10 of their first 11 matches. The exception was a 2-2 draw with Celtic in which the Dons came from two goals down to earn a point at Parkhead.
It was an extraordinary start from Jimmy Thelin’s side, and while Celtic remained title favourites throughout, there was genuine hope that Aberdeen could at least challenge.
Even those who reckoned they would struggle to push Celtic all the way thought it was possible that Aberdeen could knock Rangers out of the top two, becoming the first team to disrupt the Old Firm’s duopoly since they finished as runners-up in 2017/18.
In the end, Aberdeen’s flying start proved to be a false dawn. After the November international break, they went on a remarkable 14-game winless streak which sent them sliding down the standings.
Aberdeen have been a boom-or-bust team all season. After that 14-match run, they lost only one of their next nine outings, before signing off for the league campaign by suffering defeat four times in a row.
Ultimately they finished fifth. That was an improvement on last term, but it felt somewhat underwhelming given how well they did early on.
Aberdeen still have a chance to make the season memorable by winning the Scottish Cup for an eighth time. The Dons have not got their hands on this trophy since 1990, so their fans will feel a triumph is long overdue.
Celtic are strong favourites, however, as they aim to complete the treble following success in the Premiership and League Cup.
Brendan Rodgers’ side beat Aberdeen 5-1 a fortnight ago having also defeated them by the same scoreline in February.
Rodgers has a fantastic record in this competition, winning 20 out of the 21 matches he has managed in the Scottish Cup. That bodes well ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Aberdeen, who will need to produce a massive performance to pull off an upset in Glasgow.
Aberdeen vs Celtic betting tips
Will Aberdeen or Celtic lift the Scottish Cup trophy at Hampden Park this weekend?
Celtic -1.5 Asian handicap
Celtic won the Premiership title at a canter, amassing 92 points from 38 games. They scored 112 goals and conceded 26, giving them both the best attacking and defensive records in the league.
A goal difference of +86 shows how dominant Celtic were. Under Rodgers and his predecessor Ange Postecoglou, the Hoops have consistently been a front-footed, proactive team.
Celtic are not the sort of side which goes 2-0 up and aims to hold onto the lead. Rodgers encourages his players to try and win by as wide a margin as possible.
That is bad news for Aberdeen, who have bad memories from recent games against Celtic. It is hard to see how the Dons will be able to prevent their opponents from running riot.
A Celtic victory by a two-goal margin or more looks very tempting at these odds.
Choose Celtic -1.5 Asian handicap at 19/20 with bet365
Celtic/Celtic half-time/full-time
Aberdeen’s best hope of a shock victory is by keeping things tight at the back and nicking a goal on the break.
If Celtic take an early lead on Saturday, it is easy to envisage the floodgates opening. After all, Aberdeen are heading into the final in poor form and with low confidence.
Celtic were ahead at the interval in 25 of their 38 league games in 2024/25, as well as in their last three Scottish Cup ties.
Rodgers’ men are likely to take the lead in the opening 45 minutes this weekend. From there, it will be a long way back for Aberdeen.
Back Celtic/Celtic half-time/full-time at 10/11 with Sky Bet
Adam Idah to score any time
Daizen Maeda is Celtic’s top scorer this term with 33 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions.
However, the Japan international has not scored in his last four outings and it is probably a better bet to choose Adam Idah in the anytime scorer market.
Idah has found the back of the net 20 times in 2024/25, including two goals in three games in the Scottish Cup.
He might not be the most gifted Celtic centre-forward of all time, but Idah has contributed to Celtic’s success this season.
The 24-year-old can continue in that vein this weekend.
Select Adam Idah to score any time at 13/10 with Ladbrokes
How to watch Aberdeen vs Celtic
- Location: Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland.
- Date and time: Saturday 24th May, 3pm.
- How to watch: BBC One Scotland and BBC iPlayer, Premier Sports 2.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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