Overview
- The match kicks off at 1:30pm BST on Sunday at Rugby Park and is shown live on Sky Sports in the UK with streaming on Paramount+ in the United States.
- Celtic will miss centre-back Liam Scales as he serves the final game of a two-match ban, Jota has returned to light training but is not match-fit, and Martin O'Neill may not be in the dugout after a minor hospital procedure with assistant Shaun Maloney prepared to take charge.
- Kilmarnock remain short at the back with Robbie Deas suspended and Djenairo Daniels ruled out with a knee problem, although Tyreece John-Jules is available and new signing Johnly Yfeko could feature in a reshuffled defence.
- Celtic arrive as reigning champions on the back of a 1-0 win over Dundee and hold an eight-match winning run versus Kilmarnock with a recent aggregate of roughly 27-5, a record that shapes pre-match expectations.
- Bookmakers make Celtic heavy favourites and previews highlight betting markets such as both-teams-to-score and bets on new signings, while squad rotation and fitness management are being watched closely with European qualifiers coming up.