Rangers and Celtic lock horns in the 450th instalment of the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Sunday, in what promises to be a crucial encounter in a thrilling three-way Scottish Premiership title race.
Both Glasgow giants trail surprise leaders Hearts, who boast a seven-point advantage at the summit, making this derby a very important one in the title race.
Rangers vs Celtic – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 1st March.
- Kick-off: 12pm BST.
- Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow.
Rangers team news
Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will assess the fitness of several players ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
Dujon Sterling missed the 2-2 draw with Livingston due to a minor injury but has trained this week and a final decision on his availability will be made after Rangers’ final training session.
Ryan Naderi and Oliver Antman are also doubtful, having dealt with minor issues, though both have participated in training.
Midfielder Connor Barron remains sidelined with a hamstring injury and defender Derek Cornelius has been out since late November following surgery on a muscle injury and continues light training. Bailey Rice is still sidelined as well.
Celtic team news
Celtic will be without suspended centre-back Auston Trusty for Sunday’s crucial clash after the SFA dismissed his red card appeal.
Julian Araujo is a minor doubt after picking up a knock and did not travel to Germany for Celtic’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Stuttgart on Thursday, though he will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Arne Engels has missed the last four games with a thigh strain and is not expected to return until after March’s international break.
Callum Osmand remains sidelined until the end of March at the earliest and Alistair Johnston has been out since October with a hamstring injury requiring surgery and could be unavailable until April.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota continue recovering from their respective injuries and are not expected to return this season. Adam Montgomery is also sidelined due to his calf issue.
Form
Rangers
Rangers have scored 20 goals in their last five matches and haven’t lost in their last six. They are currently sitting in second position in the table with 56 points in 28 matches and are trailing league leaders Hearts by seven points, with a game in hand.
Celtic
The Hoops currently sit third in the Scottish Premiership, nine points behind Hearts and two points behind Rangers, having played fewer games than both title rivals.
Celtic secured a morale-boosting 1-0 victory at Stuttgart in the Europa League on Thursday, though they crashed out of the competition 4-2 on aggregate.
Predicted lineups
Rangers: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Fernandez, Rommens; Raskin, Chukwuani; Skov Olsen, Moore, Gassama; Chermiti
Celtic: Schmeichel; Donovan, Arthur, Scales, Tierney; Hatate, McGregor; Tounekti, Nygren, Maeda; Cvancara
How to watch Rangers vs Celtic
UK fans can watch the game live on Sky Sports Football.
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