Anthony Ralston’s stoppage-time goal sent Celtic top of the William Hill Premiership as the champions opened their title defence with a routine 4-0 victory over a depleted Kilmarnock side.
Reo Hatate, Liam Scales and Nicolas Kuhn were also on target as Brendan Rodgers’ side moved above St Mirren on goal difference in an early Premiership table that already sees Celtic clear of the rest of the teams.
Kilmarnock arrived in between European trips to Belgium and Norway and with only two experienced defenders available.
Joe Wright missed out after suffering a quad injury during Thursday’s Europa League qualifying defeat to Cercle Brugge, while Robbie Deas was suspended and new signing Corrie Ndaba injured.
Midfielder Brad Lyons filled in at right-back and 19-year-old Oliver Bainbridge made his first-team debut at left-back, 24 hours after joining on loan from Sunderland. Stuart Findlay and Lewis Mayo provided the experience in central defence.
Kasper Schmeichel made his Celtic debut in an otherwise familiar line-up which was only missing the injured Daizen Maeda.
Lisbon Lion Jim Craig unfurled the league flag and Celtic quickly set about the process of retaining their title.
Lyons cleared off the line from Kyogo Furuhashi following great skill from the Japan forward, whose international team-mate Hatate soon drilled home from 18 yards in the 17th minute. Celtic had won the ball back high up the park before Greg Taylor teed up the midfielder.
Schmeichel made routine saves from Liam Donnelly and Fraser Murray, but otherwise had an unsurprisingly quiet afternoon.
Robby McCrorie was far busier, saving well from Furuhashi and Kuhn as Celtic zipped the ball about with pace and purpose.
The champions doubled their lead five minutes before the break when Scales got a run on Mayo to head home Matt O’Riley’s corner.
McCrorie saved from James Forrest before being beaten by a deflection after Kuhn cut in from the right wing in the 59th minute.
Hatate produced a regular supply of efforts without troubling McCrorie and set up Furuhashi with a glorious cross, only for the striker to make a mess of his right-footed effort.
With the game gone, visiting manager Derek McInnes took the opportunity to rest players ahead of his side’s Conference League qualifier against Tromso on Thursday.
Furuhashi saw a goal disallowed for offside before being denied by a strong challenge from McCrorie and then a good stop from the goalkeeper.
Substitute Ralston was on hand to drill home the rebound from a tight angle and put Celtic a goal ahead of St Mirren at the top of the table.
[(Gangwon FC) Strength]: 1. Last season in the Korean FA Cup, Gangwon FC were eliminated in the Round of 16. This season, the team have made a breakthrough so far and have advanced to the semi-finals. In this second leg, they will play at home and have a strong desire to win.2. Lee Ji Ho, a forward of Gangwon FC, has had limited playing time this season. However, he has maintained high offensive e...
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. On August 24th, in the 2nd round of the Premier League, Everton F.C. secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., with Jack Grealish providing two assists and putting in an impressive performance.2. Everton F.C. kept unbeaten in the last 3 Premier League home games with 2 wins and 1 draw, showing excellent performances.3. Everton F.C. h...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus are on a 2-game losing streak. They are motivated to win this home game to boost their morale.2. Soichiro Mori scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, showing outstanding form.3. Nagoya Grampus secured a 3-game winning streak in their last 3 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya ...
[(Grimsby Town F.C.) Strength]: 1. Grimsby Town F.C. player Jaze Kabia scored in the last game, with reliable form.2. Grimsby Town F.C. drew 1-1 against Accrington Stanley in the last game, but they still kept unbeaten among all events in the new season, being in stable form.3. Grimsby Town F.C.'s home performance was outstanding. They won all the last 3 home games.4. Grimsby Town F.C. have a good...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. FC Machida Zelvia are undoubtedly motivated to win this home game to qualify for the semi-finals.2. Yuki Soma scored 10 goals and made 6 assists across all competitions this season, being important on the team's offense.3. FC Machida Zelvia drew 0-0 with Yokohama F. Marinos in the last game. They were unbeaten with 11 wins and 1 draw in the last 12 games, showing...
[(Reading F.C.) Strength]: 1. Reading F.C. are playing in the EFL League One this season and are on a 3-game winless run lately. They need to return to winning ways, indicating full motivation in this game.2. Lewis Wing scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with Wycombe Wanderers F.C.3. Reading F.C. won the last 2 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line...
[(Sheffield Wed) Strength]: 1. Sheffield Wed have a rather impressive track record in the EFL Cup. In the first round of this season, they defeated Bolton Wanderers F.C., another team from the EFL Championship, and have posted 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 EFL Cup games.2. Sheffield Wed lost only 1 of the last 5 games in AH with stable performances. They ended all the last 4 games with OVER.[...
[(Eintracht Braunschweig) Strength]: 1. As a 2. Bundesliga side, Eintracht Braunschweig have made a solid start to the new season. Having been eliminated in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in each of the past two seasons, the team will undoubtedly be eager to achieve a better performance when they compete in the tournament again this season. Therefore, they will be full of determination when faci...
[(Sturm Graz) Strength]: 1. Sturm Graz suffered a crushing defeat in the first leg on the road. In this home match, they have to go all out to attack, with full motivation to win.2. Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili scored 4 goals in three league games this season, performing excellently in the league. As the starting forward of the team, his performance in this match is worth keeping an eye ...
[(Burnley) Strength]: 1. Burnley's key midfielder Josh Cullen not only opened the scoring for the team in the last game but also provided an assist, emerging as the biggest contributor to the victory with an outstanding individual performance.2. Burnley claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last game, securing their first victory of the new Premier League season and boosting the t...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 3 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 4 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 5 Antony’s Man United Exit Hopes Rest on Fresh Real Betis Bid Within 'Next 24 Hours'
- 6 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 7 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 8 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 9 TIPS - Sunderland A.F.C. VS Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
- 10 TIPS - Olympique de Marseille VS Paris FC