Dunfermline Athletic are one of the older fixtures of Scottish football, founded in 1885 and still based at KDM Group East End Park. Their current business is more modest than their age might suggest: the 2026-27 campaign has them in the Championship, sitting sixth and looking for a steadier rhythm.
Their recent league form has been stubborn rather than expansive. Back-to-back 0-0 draws with Inverness CT and Arbroath followed a useful 2-0 away win, with a 2-2 draw at Airdrieonians and defeats to St Johnstone and Partick Thistle also in the recent run.
Goals have been spread thinly. Andrew Tod leads with four, Oli Shaw has three, Josh Cooper has two and Chris Kane has one. At home, the numbers point to a side keeping games tight, with fewer than one goal conceded per match on average.
The squad is sizeable at 32 players and notably young, with an average age of 23. Dunfermline also reached the second round of the League Cup, but their season is now defined by Championship positioning rather than cup noise.
For Celtic supporters, Dunfermline remain a familiar Scottish name operating a level below the Premiership, with a young squad, a tight home profile and a place in the middle of the Championship pack.
📈 Key stats and insights
⚔️ How they compare to Celtic
Celtic have the clearest direct edge from the recent head-to-head, a 3-1 win that showed the attacking gap when the game opened up. Dunfermline Athletic’s best counterpoint is defensive organisation, with the strongest early concession profile in their league sample, but their attacking indicators lag behind Raith Rovers and Livingston, which should encourage Celtic to press for control rather than wait for mistakes.
