Nine Leagues in a Row for the Hoops?

Nine Leagues in a Row for the Hoops?

When it comes to the Scottish Premiership, the past 8 years have been all about Celtic. The grass is green, the sky is blue, and Celtic wins the title in Scotland every year – it’s almost a certainty. With yet another title in the bag (50th for the Bhoys) last year, Celtic is an unstoppable force that looks a surefire bet to make it nine leagues in a row.

The Bhoys have a great team and an even better manager, yet relying too much on the betting favorite tag could be costly. Currently, all online bookies have made Celtic a clear favorite for the title for next season’s Premiership, with the Rangers trailing behind. Take a look at https://www.freebets.co.uk/ to find great deals and value odds. You can use these bonuses to place a bet on Celtic’s 1/3 Premiership Winner odds, which, you have to admit, don’t look great at all. All the special markets are perhaps more exciting to bet on than the admittedly boring Scottish Premiership outright winner market.

Even though Celtic looks like a lock for a new title, the Rangers shouldn’t be underestimated. Under Steven Gerrard’s lead, the Rangers have progressed a lot since coming back to the Premiership.  As it turns out, the former Liverpool legend knows how to lead a team, and he has also used his influence to bring players such as Jermain Defoe to the club with potentially 9 new faces due to arrive at Ibrox. There’s no question that Gerrard can attract top talent to Ibrox, making the Scottish Premiership much more attractive and competitive. This, however, could spell the end of the Bhoys’ dominance unless the squad improves.

With Kieran Tierney reportedly on his way to Arsenal, Neil Lennon had already identified his replacement. Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo has signed for Celtic for a transfer fee of around £3 million. The Belgian left-back is a competent and explosive winger as well and will surely fill the Tierney-shaped hole nicely. Even if the Arsenal target doesn’t leave, Mbombo adds depth to the squad.

Boli-Bolingoli Mbombo was set for some time to become Lennon’s third signing this summer. After the signing of Christopher Jullien, a much-needed centre-back, and 18-year old sensation Luca Connell, Lennon has done a great job of securing the services of Mbombo.  However, with Rangers set on signing former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, who played with Stevie G at Anfield previously, there’s a reason to believe that the Ibrox outfit could mount a serious title challenge. Rangers won their last title in season 2010-2011, so it’s been quite a while. If they sign Sturridge and add a few more quality players, Celtic could be in trouble.

Of course, with the two top teams in Scotland strengthening their squads, we expect others to follow which should translate to more exciting matches and derbies. Celtic’s improved squad will probably make it to the Champions League as well, an opportunity they missed last year. Bookies are currently giving Celtic odds of 3/1 to reach the CL group stages, while the Rangers are 7/2 to qualify for the Europa League group stages.

Winning both competitions is a far-fetched idea for both clubs. The Rangers are 80/1 to win the Europa League, while Celtic has odds of 500/1 to win the CL.

Thanks to signings such as Jullien and a few more to (hopefully) follow Celtic can continue its dominance in the Premiership and possibly get back to CL football where the team belongs.