Aberdeen vs Celtic preview: Prediction, team news, lineups & how to watch on TV

After defeating Livingston in the quarter-finals, thanks to a couple of late goals, Celtic return to Scottish Cup action this weekend for the semi-final against Aberdeen. Join The Celtic Bhoys for our preview of the game, featuring the score prediction, team news, predicted lineups & information about how to watch on TV.

Aberdeen vs Celtic preview

Cannot attend the match in person? Not to worry, here is all the information required about how to watch Aberdeen vs Celtic on TV.

How to watch Aberdeen vs Celtic on TV

• When is kick off? Saturday 20 April 2024
• What time is kick off? 12:30 (BST)
• Where is it played? Hampden Park, Glasgow
• TV Channel / live stream? BBC One Scotland, Premier Sports 1, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website

Aberdeen team news

For Aberdeen, the main question mark will be surrounding Slobodan Rubezic. The defender has been missing from action since the turn of the calendar year and he has been a big miss to the Dons.

As reported by the Daily Record, interim manager Peter Leven has said that Rubezic is training really well, so he could be due to return to action in mid-April. The boss said:

"Rubi is looking at mid-April, he’s training really well. He’s been dipping in and out with us, doing non-contact stuff so hopefully in a few weeks he’ll step up again. We’ve missed him, his first contact in duels is one of the best in the league so he’s important for us. He’s a big part of the squad."

Also to note for Aberdeen is that the midfielder Graeme Shinnie will miss this match through suspension. Needless to say, the veteran has been a reliable midfielder and often the first name on the team sheet, so he is a big miss.

Celtic team news

Celtic have two injuries to key players, which could impact them in this important Scottish Cup semifinal. Brendan Rodgers will need to work around the Liam Scales injury while Daizen Maeda could potentially be out for the rest of the season. The defender's issue is not as serious but he is still expected to remain out for a couple of weeks.

Predicted Aberdeen vs Celtic lineups

Predicted Aberdeen lineup vs Celtic: Roos; Devlin, Cartenmann, Jensen, MacKenzie; Barron, Clarkson, Polvara; Duk, Miovski, McGrath

Predicted Celtic lineup vs Aberdeen: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki, Taylor; O'Riley, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Yang

Aberdeen vs Celtic prediction

Aberdeen have underperformed in the Premiership this season, so they will be eager to get something out of the Scottish Cup. They could give The Hoops a tough contest at Hampden Park but Celtic should hopefully have what it takes. We will go with Aberdeen 2-3 Celtic.