Rangers and Celtic meet on Sunday in a Scottish League Cup quarter-final encounter at the Ibrox Stadium.
Rangers vs Celtic – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 13th September.
- Kick-off: 12pm BST.
- Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow.
Rangers team news
Rangers face a severe selection crisis ahead of the Old Firm derby, with manager Derek McInnes navigating a heavily depleted squad due to a wave of long-term injuries.
The Light Blues suffer their biggest blow in attack, as captain and star striker Lawrence Shankland is sidelined for up to four months with a serious hamstring tear.
The frontline is further weakened by the absence of Youssef Chermiti, who is recovering from an ACL injury, and Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota, who remains out until November following groin surgery.
Defensively, McInnes is missing key full-backs, as left-back Tuur Rommens and right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic are both ruled out with groin and foot issues, respectively.
Midfielder Jose Cifuentes also remains unavailable. Consequently, midweek hero Bojan Miovski is expected to lead the line alongside Ryan Naderi to patch up the heavily depleted Rangers attack.
Celtic team news
Celtic enter the high-stakes quarter-final tie in excellent domestic form, though manager Martin O’Neill must also manage several notable absences across his squad.
The Hoops will be without Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston, who is sidelined with a nagging hamstring strain.
In a major defensive boost, however, star centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers is expected to return to the starting lineup after resting during the midweek fixture due to minor muscle soreness and fatigue.
In attack, summer signing Kasper Høgh is fully fit and tipped to lead the line. Meanwhile, winger Jota has returned to light training following an ACL injury, but this derby clash comes too soon for his competitive return.
Celtic are also missing Yang Hyun-jun due to the Asian Cup, while youth prospects Callum Osmand and Landon Emenalo remain out of contention.
Form
Rangers
Rangers enter the derby in excellent domestic form, riding a four-match winning streak across all competitions. Following a disappointing penalty shootout exit in the Conference League playoffs against Jablonec, Derek McInnes’s side bounced back instantly. They secured 1-0 league victories over Aberdeen and Motherwell, followed by another hard-fought 1-0 win against St Mirren in their most recent fixture. They have kept three clean sheets in their last four matches.
Celtic
Celtic boast a perfect start to their domestic campaign, winning all six of their opening Scottish Premiership matches. They have been highly prolific, scoring 14 goals while conceding only three. Their recent results include a dominant 3-0 victory against Aberdeen and a 2-1 win over St Mirren. However, their continental form exposed vulnerabilities; despite a 3-0 home win over LASK in the Champions League playoffs, they suffered a heavy 5-1 away defeat in the return leg.
Predicted lineups
Rangers: Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Neil; Bouanani, Naderi, Gassama; Miovski
Celtic: Johnstone; Donovan, Murray, Trusty, Scales; McGregor, Baur; Hassan, Nygren, Duran; Hogh
How to watch Rangers vs Celtic?
The Rangers vs Celtic Premier Sports Cup quarter-final match is being broadcast live exclusively on Premier Sports 1 in the UK.
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