Scottish Cup
2026-05-23 - Celtic vs Dunfermline Athletic
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: Scottish Cup Final
Saturday 23rd May 2026 - Kick Off 3pm
This game is live on TV
Celtic
Just when it looked like time was running out, it was perhaps fitting that a VAR intervention landed in favour of Celtic, correctly, and Martin O'Neill's club are once again Scottish Champions. The atmosphere was pretty incredible at Celtic Park, but the pitch invasion has been criticised after Celtic scored again to produce a 3-1 win over Hearts.
In a season which looked to be trending towards finishing trophy-less, Celtic now have an opportunity to win another domestic Double and they are going to be big favourites to do that. Martin O'Neill refuses to address reports about his future after two successful interim stints in charge of Celtic this season and instead the entire focus is on concluding this Cup run with another trophy to add to the cabinet.
Celtic needed Extra Time to beat St Mirren in the Scottish Cup Semi Final, but they won 7 straight Premiership games to overturn Hearts' lead on the final day of the campaign. The Bhoys were upset by Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final last season, but they have an opportunity to lift this trophy for the third time in four years.
Dunfermline Athletic
A former manager came into Celtic Park to lead the club to success, while another is going to be managing Dunfermline Athletic in their bid for a major upset. Neil Lennon has to pick up his group after the Scottish Premiership Play Off Semi Final defeat to Partick Thistle, and missing out on a return to the top flight will be a big blow to overcome.
The Pars will clearly be excited about taking part in the Scottish Cup Final for the first time since 2007 and they are trying to win the competition for the first time since 1968. That defeat to Partick Thistle will hurt, but Dunfermline Athletic have beaten Hibernian, Aberdeen and Falkirk from the Scottish Premiership in this Cup run.
Dunfermline Athletic had lost 1 of the previous 8 games in all competitions before the narrow 2-1 loss to Partick Thistle, which saw them beaten 3-2 on aggregate in the Premiership Play Off Semi Final. Only 1 of the previous 5 games in all competitions have ended in a win and Neil Lennon is a little concerned with the amount of football his team have had to play this season.
Head to Head
Celtic beat Dunfermline Athletic 2-1 when last facing them in August 2019.
That result makes it 11 straight victories for Celtic against this opponent.
Prediction
Both of these clubs have had extremely emotional weeks- Celtic won the Scottish Premiership thanks to a goal scored in the 87th minute, while Dunfermline Athletic's hopes of returning to the Scottish Premiership ended against Partick Thistle having blown a 0-1 lead in the Second Leg to lose 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
Martin O'Neill and Neil Lennon will have to manage the emotions of their respective squads, but it should be easier for O'Neill.
Winning the title in the manner they did will have given Celtic a huge amount of momentum, while Dunfermline Athletic will still be thinking of what may have been.
Injuries have been an issue for The Pars and they have clearly not been playing at full tilt in recent weeks, although remaining tough to beat more often than not.
Three wins over Scottish Premiership clubs to reach the Cup Final will have given the Dunfermline Athletic players a lot of belief, but this is another significant test.
In recent years, the Scottish Cup Final has proven to be a competitive affair, even when that has not looked to be the case on paper. Only 1 of the last 7 Cup Finals has been won by more than a single goal margin, but this Celtic team may have the depth and momentum to match the success over Inverness CT in 2023 when a late goal put the gloss on the final scoreline in a 3-1 win.
Something similar could happen again as Celtic have been the kings of late goals all season and they can secure the Double with a relatively comfortable win over a lower League team that will perhaps wear down in the second half.
The Pick :
Celtic 2-0 Dunfermline Athletic
