- A victory would secure Celtic's 43rd Scottish Cup, Dunfermline last won it in 1968.
- Celtic finished 1st in the Scottish Premiership with 82 points, Dunfermline finished fourth in the Scottish Championship and lost in the play-offs.
Celtic to secure the double with a comfortable cup win
Celtic are overwhelming favourites for the Scottish Cup Final, but Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline are a decent underdog for a cup upset. The hosts are 21/100 for the win and the Pars are a massive 33/4 to win at Hampden Park, which suggests the bookies are expecting a lop-sided contest.
The hosts have closed out the 2025-26 season with a five-match winning run which has seen them beat the Gers and Hearts, with a flurry of goals and late winners. They have the quality and momentum to cruise to a Scottish Cup win and secure the domestic double for the 2025-26 campaign. Dunfermline, on the other hand, are in patchy form after a defeat to Partick Thistle in the Championship play-offs and a draw against Arbroath, but have been impressive in their giant-killing run to the Scottish Cup final.
Celtic’s form in the run-in has been impressive, both in terms of their resilience and attacking flair, and they have the players to unlock Dunfermline on Saturday. The Pars’ back four will be tested by Celtic’s overloads and Maeda, Iheanacho and McGregor are capable of creating chances from any part of the pitch.
Callumn Morrison has been a revelation since signing from Hamilton in January, bringing pace and goals from the flanks and the ability to hurt sides on the counter-attack. Andrew Tod has been Dunfermline’s best player and top scorer during their Scottish Championship promotion push and in the cup, he will lead the line for the underdogs.
Pars can pack the midfield and be a threat on the break
Lennon has instilled his usual work rate and midfield grit into Dunfermline and their flexibility has been a key factor in the club’s success in the cup.
The cup run has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the fans and the players, but the final against Celtic will be a big occasion for the Fife club. Lennon’s Celtic connection and Dunfermline’s status as underdogs will play a part in the build-up and give the storylines a certain magic that can’t be underestimated.
However, Celtic’s quality and form should win out on the day, with odds showing Celtic as overwhelming favourites at 21/100, which is a decent play for the champions of Scotland.
Daizen Maeda in red-hot form for Celtic
The bookies have been quick to price up the game with ‘Both teams to score - No’ at 63/100, which is the right bet if you think Celtic will dominate and keep a clean sheet. That is our belief given the difference in quality between the two sides and the fact that O’Neill’s side are in good form and can be defensively solid when required.
Lennon will try to keep it tight and compact in the first half, before taking a gamble or two in the second to try and cause Celtic a few problems in behind their back three, so don’t expect a flood of Celtic goals.
Celtic play with a back three and are a possession-based team with positional rotation in their attacking moves, but they can also play direct and press high up the pitch under O’Neill. This clash of styles could be a classic clash of creativity vs pragmatism, which will be interesting to watch.
Celtic last played Dunfermline in August 2019
Celtic won 2-1 in the League Cup, but the last time Dunfermline beat Celtic was in November 2005. These two sides last met competitively in the League Cup in August 2019 and we’re predicting that Celtic will win to nil and cover a -2 handicap against the Championship outfit on Saturday.
