Celtic vs Dundee United prediction: Celtic to win 2-0 as model gives 87.2% chance
Scottish Premiership sees Celtic face Dundee United at Celtic Park. The model makes Celtic the favourite, assigning a strong 87.2% probability of victory. For reference, the full split is Celtic 87.2%, draw 9.8%, Dundee United 3%.
Celtic have generated 2.36 goals per game (1.64x the league average) and are a miserly defence at 0.87 conceded per game. Dundee United average 1.36 scored (0.94x average) and are a steady defence at 1.44 conceded per game. Feeding those attack and defence strengths through a Poisson model, expected goals come out at 2.6 for Celtic and 0.7 for Dundee United.
On the goals markets, the numbers point to an open, higher-scoring game (Over 2.5 at 65.5%), and both-teams-to-score is close to a coin flip (49%). The most probable exact scoreline is 2-0, with 2-0, 3-0, 2-1 the leading candidates.
Verdict: Celtic to come out on top is the model's recommended pick at 87.2% confidence. A 2-0 scoreline is our single most likely result. As always, these are statistical estimates, not certainties.
Team news
- Martin O'Neill positive on Celtic Europa League hopes despite 4-1 thrashing to Benfica — Martin O'Neill hailed Celtic's second-half display in the 4-1 Europa League defeat by Benfica which left them with no points from six in the league phase. (ESPN, 2026-10-15)
- Celtic condemn protest after tennis balls thrown at owner — Celtic have condemned the protest which saw tennis balls thrown towards principal shareholder Dermot Desmond during his visit to the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament at St Andrews. (ESPN, 2026-10-04)
- 2026-27 Scottish Premiership preview: Celtic again? New-look Rangers? Another Hearts shock? Assessing every team — Celtic? Rangers? Hearts? ESPN's Mark Donaldson breaks down what you need to know about every team ahead of the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership season. (ESPN, 2026-10-02)
- Celtic 0-1 Rangers: Ryan Naderi gives visitors second derby win in a week - as it happened — Rangers claimed their second Old Firm derby win in a week as Ryan Naderi's goal claimed three points at Celtic. (ESPN, 2026-09-20)
- Rangers' Ryan Naderi downs Celtic in Old Firm Derby — Ryan Naderi scored the only goal as Rangers defeated Celtic 1-0 at Celtic Park on Sunday. (ESPN, 2026-09-20)
- Celtic vs. Rangers - Kick-off time, how to watch Olwethu Makhanya in South Africa on ESPN and Disney+ — In a rematch of last Sunday's Old Firm Premier Sports Cup clash, Celtic will face Rangers again this Sunday - this time in the Scottish Premiership at Celtic Park. (ESPN, 2026-09-18)
Head-to-head & form · More predictions · Scottish Premiership