Linfield v Celtic Betting Offers and Preview – 14 July 2017

Linfield v Celtic Tips, Odds and Betting Offers, Friday 14th July 2017

David Healy’s Linfield and Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic square off in a UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg tie at Windsor Park this Friday evening. As expected, the Scottish champions are the strong favourites to seal a first leg win in Belfast.

Preview

Celtic, who had a season to remember last year, head to Belfast as the clear favourites to return to Glasgow with a handsome first leg lead. In Brendan Rodgers’ first campaign in charge at Celtic Park, the Bhoys sealed a domestic triple, winning the Scottish Premiership title, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

However, all five of their defeats last term came in the Champions League, which included a shock 1-0 loss to Lincoln Red Imps at this stage of the competition last season. Despite losing 1-0 in Gibraltar, Rodgers’ men won the second leg 3-0 in Glasgow to go through with a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Linfield, meanwhile, who are now managed by former Rangers & Northern Ireland striker David Healy, sealed their passage through to the second qualifying round by getting the better of La Fiorita of San Marino in the first qualification round. Jordan Stewart’s 89th-minute winner in the first leg proved to be the difference in the tie.

In a two-horse race for the NIFL Premiership title last year, Linfield pipped Crusaders to the post by two points. That was the Blues’ 52nd Irish title, but their first since the 2011-12 season.

Betting Verdict

In reality, Celtic should be far too strong for their inferior opponents on Friday. Having said that, Windsor Park is always a tough place to visit for any side, and the Hoops will still need to be wary and at their best to get the job done in Belfast, especially after what happened against the Lincoln Red Imps this time last year.

Celtic Too Good

However, we fancy Celtic to kick their 2017-18 season off with a routine victory on Friday. We believe 888sport’s tasty odds of 5/1 for the away side to win 3-0 are well worth having a punt on.

Celtic as a whole had an unforgettable season last year, but Scott Sinclair was in the form of his life. After a difficult spell in England with the likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa, the former Swansea City man has certainly found his feet in Scotland. Last season, Sinclair netted an outstanding 25 goals in 50 appearances for the Celts, winning several accolades for his superb displays.

We’re backing the winger to get Celtic up and running on Friday by opening the scoring at Windsor Park. Sky Bet are offering the best price, with decent odds of 10/3. They also offer a great free bet so why not have a punt?