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Celtic will welcome second-placed Rangers to Celtic Park in a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership clash on Sunday. The hosts have a comfortable 16-point lead over the Gers and will look to register a statement win here.
The Bhoys have bounced back well after a 2-1 away loss to Hibernian last month, and are on a three-game winning streak across all competitions. They won 5-2 away at St. Mirren in their previous league outing and overcame Hibernian 2-0 at home in the Scottish Cup last week.
The visitors have seen conclusive results in their last 14 games in all competitions, recording nine wins. They met Motherwell in their previous league outing earlier this month and suffered a 2-1 home loss.
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They met Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 and, after a 2-0 home loss in the second leg earlier this week, they progressed to the next round 3-2 on penalties. Captain James Tavernier took the first penalty while Tom Lawrence scored the winning penalty.
Celtic vs Rangers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two Glasgow-based rivals have a long-standing rivalry and have crossed paths 444 times in all competitions. They have been evenly matched in these meetings with 170 wins apiece while 104 games have ended in draws.
- They last met in the Premiership in January and the Gers registered a comfortable 3-0 home win.
- The Hoops are unbeaten at home in the Premiership since December 2023. They are on a 10-game winning streak at home, keeping nine clean sheets.
- Rangers are unbeaten in their last six away league games, recording three consecutive wins.
- The Hoops are on a six-game unbeaten streak at home in the league against the visitors, recording five consecutive wins.
- The league leaders have the best goalscoring record in the Premiership this season, scoring 87 goals, 28 more than the Gers.
Celtic vs Rangers Prediction
The Bhoys have won their last three games, scoring 12 goals and will look to build on that form. They have suffered just one loss at home this season, with that loss coming against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last month.
Liam Scales was absent against Hibernian last week with a facial injury but is likely to return to the starting XI here. Paulo Bernardo is a confirmed absentee while James Forrest faces a late fitness test, and Callum McGregor is likely to miss out due to a calf issue.
Rangers were winless in their first three away games of the year but have won their last four away games, scoring 13 goals. They have won just one of their last eight meetings against the hosts.
Neraysho Kasanwirjo is out for the remainder of the season while Oscar Cortes is also expected to sit this one out. Barry Ferguson is expected to field a similar starting XI from their meeting against Fenerbahce on Thursday in his first Old Firm match.
Both teams registered 3-0 home wins in two league meetings earlier this season and will look to continue that form. Brendan Rodgers has lost just two of his 21 meetings against Rangers as the Celtic manager and his experience will be key here.
While this match is likely to be contested with great fervor, the reigning champions are expected to record a comfortable win.
Prediction: Celtic 2-1 Rangers
Celtic vs Rangers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Celtic to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
