There’s a huge Old Firm derby to look forward to on Sunday (midday) and it could go a long way to deciding the destination of the Scottish Premiership title.
Champions Celtic are a point ahead of the great rivals Rangers at the top of the SPL, but the Gers have a game in hand and Philippe Clement’s men will have a loud Ibrox crowd on side this weekend.
- Rangers to win
- Rangers to score over 2.5 goals
- Over 6.5 cards
Rangers Ready To topple Rivals
There is still another Old Firm derby to be played after the split, but the third SPL meeting between Rangers and Celtic has the makings of a title decider. The Gers can move two points clear of the Bhoys, with a game in hand, if they can beat the champions at Ibrox on Sunday, and the win looks well within the grasp of Clement’s men.
Rangers’ title hopes looked all but over in the early part of the campaign but it’s been a remarkable turnaround under Clement. The Gers have lost only three matches since the Belgian took to the Ibrox dugout and the Light Blues have won 11 of their last 12 Premiership matches, scoring 33 goals and conceding just eight in that run.
That’s a seriously impressive record and there is a whole host of attacking talent at Ibrox right now. Todd Cantwell, Cyriel Dessers, Fabio Silva, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo, Ross McCausland and Abdallah Sima are all competing for a starting role in forward positions and that plethora of goalscoring potential is likely to expose a suspect Celtic defence.
The Bhoys have failed to win five of their last 12 away matches and losing at Kilmarnock and Hearts doesn’t inspire confidence in Brendan Rodgers side getting the better of their rivals at Ibrox.
Rangers look good value to take this Old Firm and move back to the top of the SPL table.
Rangers Could Punish Celtic Defence
Celtic are likely to field a back-four of Alistair Johnston, Greg Taylor, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales at Ibrox and the Hoops have kept only two clean sheets in their last 10 matches.
Carter-Vickers and Johnston are solid defenders, but Taylor and Scales have looked vulnerable against top-level opponents this season and it’s worth remembering that Rodgers’ side conceded 15 goals in six Champions League group-stage games this term.
Rangers are the closest the Hoops will get to European-level opposition in the domestic season and it would be no surprise if the Gers exposed a leaky Bhoys defence.
Clement’s men have scored 22 goals in their last eight home SPL matches and they look a good bet to hit three or more on Sunday.
RANGERS TO SCORE OVER 2.5 GOALS
Tempers Set To Flare At Ibrox
December’s Old Firm derby was an unsurprisingly spicy affair and referee Nick Walsh dished out 10 yellow cards and one red at Celtic Park.
An Old Firm doesn’t need any build up to get heated, but there is even more riding on Sunday’s clash than usual given the league position of the two sides, and that could see tempers boil over at Ibrox.
