Celtic to Face Falkirk in Important Post-Split Premiership Match at Celtic Park

Apr 25, 2026, 06:55

Introduction

On Saturday, 25th April, Celtic will host Falkirk at Celtic Park in the first match after the Scottish Premiership split. Celtic are currently in third place with 67 points, three points behind league leaders Hearts. As a result, this fixture is very important for the title race.

Main Body

The match, scheduled for a 5:30pm BST kick-off, is the first fixture of the post-split phase. Celtic are in third place with 67 points, three points behind Hearts. Each remaining game is therefore crucial for Martin O'Neill's squad in their pursuit of the championship. Celtic have won four of their last five matches, including a 6-2 victory over St Mirren in the Scottish Cup and a 1-0 league win, but they lost 2-0 to Dundee United. At Celtic Park, they have won their last eight matches against Falkirk. Falkirk, on the other hand, have only one win in their last five games. They achieved a 3-2 away win against Motherwell, but also lost 6-3 to Rangers and were eliminated from the Scottish Cup on penalties after a 0-0 draw with Dunfermline. Martin O'Neill confirmed that Liam Scales returns from a one-match suspension and is expected to start. Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand have resumed training after hamstring injuries; they are available for selection but may begin on the bench to ease back into action. Captain Callum McGregor is fit to start despite recent minor fitness concerns. However, several key players remain unavailable: Kasper Schmeichel (shoulder), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Jota (ACL), Julian Araujo (thigh), and Colby Donovan (hamstring) are all confirmed absentees. Falkirk manager John McGlynn described the loss of three regular starters as a 'huge blow' ahead of the trip. Goalkeeper Scott Bain, who was expected to face his former club, is out with an ankle injury that may keep him out for several weeks. Defenders Liam Henderson and Filip Lissah sustained injuries during the recent Scottish Cup semi-final and are also ruled out. These absences add to the earlier season-ending injuries to Louie Marsh and Ethan Williams. Barney Stewart is expected to lead the attack. McGlynn must reorganize a defence that has lost two first-choice defenders and its primary goalkeeper. The projected starting lineup for Celtic is: Sinisalo; Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Hyun-Jun, Nygren, Maeda; Iheanacho. Falkirk's expected lineup is: Hogarth; Donaldson, Allan, McCan; Spencer, Tait; Broggio, Yeats, Miller; Stewart. The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.

Conclusion

This match is a key opportunity for Celtic to reduce the gap to league leaders Hearts, while Falkirk must deal with significant player absences. The result will directly affect the title race and Falkirk's position in the final phase of the season.

Vocabulary Learning

absentees (n.)
people who are absent or missing缺席者；缺勤者
Example:Kasper Schmeichel, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota, Julian Araujo, and Colby Donovan are all confirmed absentees.
crucial (adj.)
extremely important or necessary關鍵的；至關重要的
Example:Each remaining game is therefore crucial for Martin O'Neill's squad.
fixture (n.)
a scheduled sports match賽事；比賽
Example:This fixture is very important for the title race.
pursuit (n.)
the act of trying to achieve something追求；追尋
Example:Celtic are in pursuit of the championship.
suspension (n.)
a temporary ban from playing停賽；暫停
Example:Liam Scales returns from a one-match suspension.

Sentence Learning

Goalkeeper Scott Bain, who was expected to face his former club, is out with an ankle injury that may keep him out for several weeks.
This sentence uses two relative clauses: 'who was expected to face his former club' describes Scott Bain, and 'that may keep him out for several weeks' describes the ankle injury. It also uses passive voice 'was expected' to focus on the expectation rather than who expected. This helps add detailed information without starting new sentences.呢句句子用咗兩個關係子句：'who was expected to face his former club' 修飾 Scott Bain，而 'that may keep him out for several weeks' 修飾腳踝傷勢。同時用被動語態 'was expected' 強調預期本身而非預期者。咁樣可以加入詳細資訊而唔使開新句子。
McGlynn must reorganize a defence that has lost two first-choice defenders and its primary goalkeeper.
This sentence uses a relative clause 'that has lost two first-choice defenders and its primary goalkeeper' to specify which defence McGlynn must reorganize. The relative clause provides essential information about the defence, making the sentence more precise.呢句用關係子句 'that has lost two first-choice defenders and its primary goalkeeper' 指明McGlynn需要重組嘅係邊條防線。關係子句提供咗關於防線嘅必要資訊，令句子更精確。
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
This sentence uses passive voice 'will be broadcast' to emphasize the action (broadcasting) and the recipient (the match) rather than the broadcaster. It is common in formal reporting to focus on the event.呢句用被動語態 'will be broadcast' 強調動作（播放）同接受者（比賽），而唔係播放者。喺正式報導中常見，用嚟聚焦事件本身。
Captain Callum McGregor is fit to start despite recent minor fitness concerns.
This sentence uses 'despite' to show contrast between being fit to start and having recent minor fitness concerns. 'Despite' is followed by a noun phrase, indicating that the fitness concerns do not prevent him from starting.呢句用 'despite' 表示對比：能夠正選上陣同近期有輕微傷患問題。'Despite' 後面接名詞短語，表示傷患問題並無阻止佢正選。
Falkirk, on the other hand, have only one win in their last five games.
This sentence uses 'on the other hand' to contrast Falkirk's poor form with Celtic's good form mentioned earlier. It is a common linking phrase to introduce a contrasting point in a discussion.呢句用 'on the other hand' 對比福爾柯克嘅差勁狀態同之前提到嘅些路迪好狀態。呢個係常見嘅連接短語，用嚟引入討論中嘅對比觀點。