Celtic welcome Rangers to Celtic Park on Saturday as the Glasgow giants go head-to-head in the Scottish Premiership.
Both teams will be seeking three crucial points as they compete for the title in what promises to be an intense Old Firm derby.
Celtic vs Rangers – Match preview and team news
- Date: Saturday, 3rd January,
- Kick-off: 12:30pm BST.
- Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow.
Celtic team news
Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand, and Cameron Carter-Vickers are all sidelined for long term through injury. The latter is managing an Achilles problem, while Johnston and Osmand are both struggling with hamstring issues. Those injuries are expected to keep them out until early March.
Jota, who is expected to return mid-January, is still not available along with Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi. Both are still struggling with their hamstring issues.
Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha are still not available due to their ongoing commitment to their nation team for the Africa Cup of Nations. Manager Wilfried Nancy is expected to keep the same xi from their last loss.
Rangers team news
The Light Blues remain without key players, with Derek Cornelius and Bailey Rice continuing their recovery from injury, whilst Oliver Antman faces a two-month absence after suffering a leg injury in early December, which means he is expected to be back not before late January at the very least.
Nedim Bajrami is also sidelined until mid January for his hamstring injury. Nasser Djiga in unavailable as well because of his involvement in his national team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite their injury woes, Rangers have demonstrated attacking prowess, with Youssef Chermiti leading the line effectively and Thelo Aasgaard providing goals from midfield. Emmanuel Fernandez has also stepped up in recent weeks, scoring a crucial goal in their 2-1 victory over St Mirren on December 30.
Jack Butland, in goal for Rangers, has made several crucial saves, including a penalty stop against St Mirren, showcasing the quality between the sticks.
Form
Celtic
After four consecutive loss, Nancy’s tenure at Celtic took a positive turn as they won back to back against Aberdeen (3-1) and Livingston (4-2) but their most recent result was another disappointing loss to Motherwell (0-2). They currently sit second in the league table with 38 points, three behind leaders Hearts and just three above third placed Rangers.
Rangers
Rangers have made considerable progress under Rohl’s management, collecting six points from their last three matches and climbing to third place in the Scottish Premiership.
Their most recent outing saw them edge past St Mirren 2-1 at Ibrox, with Thelo Aasgaard opening the scoring in the 39th minute before Emmanuel Fernandez doubled their advantage shortly after the restart
Predicted lineups
Celtic: Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Tierney; Hyun-Jun, Engels, McGregor, McCowan; Nygren, Maeda; Kenny.
Rangers: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Fernandez, Meghoma; Aasgaard, Raskin, Diomande; Gassama, Y. Chermiti, Moore.
How to watch Celtic vs Rangers?
Fans in the UK can watch the match on Sky Sports, while SPFL Pass will stream the fixture for international viewers.
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