Rangers vs Celtic predictions: Gers can take Old Firm honours

Henry Hardwicke

Spotlight

Michael Beale needs to pick his Rangers side up from their Champions League disappointment in midweek

- Rangers have lost only two of their last nine SPL home meetings with Celtic
- Five of the six Old Firm matches last season featured at least three goals
- Recommended bet: Rangers to win

Rangers and Celtic clash at Ibrox in the first Old Firm derby of this Scottish Premiership season on Sunday afternoon.

The Gers are bidding to put the disappointment of their Champions League exit behind them, while Celtic are looking to get back to winning ways following a Scottish League Cup defeat at Kilmarnock and a draw with St Johnstone in the league.

There will be a feverish atmosphere inside Ibrox and it promises to be another fiercely competitive all-Glasgow clash.

Team news

Rangers look set to be without midfielder Kieran Dowell and defender Ridvan Yilmaz through injury, while Steven Davis is a long-term absentee.

Sam Lammers and Danilo are pushing for recalls after being left out in Eindhoven on Wednesday and Kemar Roofe could also earn a start after not being part of Rangers’ European squad.

Celtic have a growing injury list and the Bhoys will be without their first-choice centre-back pairing of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki.

Reo Hatate, Yuki Kobayashi, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Marco Tilio and Stephen Welsh will also miss the trip to Ibrox.

The stats

Brendan Rodgers is perhaps taking his time in stamping his mark on his Celtic squad second time around

Rangers have lost only two of their last nine Scottish Premiership home meetings with Celtic.

Five of the six Old Firm matches last season featured at least three goals.

Both teams have scored in six of their last nine Old Firm games.

There were a total of 30 bookings in the six Old Firm games last term.

Rangers have scored at least two goals in five of their last seven matches.

The latest Rangers vs Celtic odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Prediction

Rangers have to recover from a 5-1 hammering against PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday, but they still look to be taking on Celtic at the right time.

The Bhoys were beaten 1-0 at Kilmarnock in the Scottish League Cup and that disappointing defeat was followed by a 0-0 Scottish Premiership draw with struggling St Johnstone at Parkhead.

Ange Postecoglou’s departure appears to have left a huge hole in the East End of Glasgow and the Hoops have a whole host of injuries going into the first Old Firm clash of the season.

The Bhoys will be without first-choice centre-backs Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki, with Reo Hatate, Yuki Kobayashi, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Marco Tilio also missing, and Rangers have the attacking talent to take advantage.

Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, Sam Lammers, Kemar Roofe, Rabbi Matondo and Todd Cantwell are all pushing for a start in the Light Blues forward unit and they are all capable of scoring against a makeshift Celtic defence.

Home advantage is often key in Old Firm games, even more so with the absence of any away supporters, and Rangers can send the Ibrox crowd home happy.

Back Rangers to win at 11/8 with LiveScore Bet.