2025 kicks off with a bang in the Scottish Premiership as Rangers host Celtic in the Old Firm derby.
Regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in world football, these two clubs have battled for decades at the summit of the Scottish game, but the game has been decidedly one-sided in recent times.
Rangers have failed to win any of their previous seven meetings, with Celtic's lead in the derby reflecting their overall dominance. The Hoops have won 12 of the previous 13 Scottish titles, with the Gers' lone triumph coming in 2020/21 under Steven Gerrard.
Rangers have little chance of reclaiming the crown this season with Brendan Rodgers' side relegated. Celtic are 14 points clear of their arch-rivals at the summit with Thursday's hosts enduring an underwhelming campaign with Belgian Philippe Clement in charge.
Clement's side go into the derby after losing to St. Mirren and equalized at Motherwell to finish 2024. Celtic remain unbeaten domestically and have conceded just four goals in 18 league games.
Here it is 90 minutes guide to Thursday's Old Firm derby.
Rangers vs Celtic H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Rangers |
Celtic |
|---|---|
|
Motherwell 2-2 Rangers – 29/12/24 |
Celtic 4-0 St. Johnstone – 29/12/24 |
|
St Mirren 2-1 Rangers – 26/12/24 |
Celtic 4-0 Motherwell – 26/12/24 |
|
Rangers 1-0 Dundee – 21/12/24 |
Dundee United 0-0 Celtic – 22/12/24 |
|
Celtic 3-3 (5-4p) Rangers – 15/12/24 |
Celtic 3-3 (5-4p) Rangers – 15/12/24 |
|
Rangers 1-1 Tottenham – 12/12/24 |
Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic – 10/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Ultra HD |
|
United States |
fuboTV, CBS Sports Network |
|
Canada |
Celtic TV, RangersTV |
Quarterback Leon Balogun hit St. .
After picking up a suspected hamstring injury at the weekend, the hosts are certain to be without captain James Tavernier.
Rabbi Matondo returned to action on Sunday as he enjoyed a performance from the bench after a long injury lay-off. He is unlikely to return to the Gers starting line-up here, but he will be ready for another appearance as a substitute.
The hosts are missing Tom Lawrence, Neraysho Kasanwirjo and John Souttar. Hamza Igamane will return to the XI after his match-saving performance on Sunday.
Rangers predicted formation against Celtic (4-2-3-1): Butland; Sterling, Balogun, King, Yilmaz; Diomande, Raskin; Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi; Religion.
Celtic, like their hosts, do not have too many injury concerns in the new year. They are set to be without James Forrest and Odin Thiago Holm for their trip to Ibrox.
It has been a period full of celebrations for the runaway leaders, but Rodgers is unlikely to make major changes to the side that struck St. Johnstone at the weekend. Celtic will be full here, with Kyogo Furuhashi aiming to continue his excellent record in this fixture.
Only Henrik Larsson and Kenny Miller have scored more Old Firm derby goals than the Japanese striker (eight).
Celtic predicted line-up against Rangers (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Bernardo, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda.
Rangers come into the competition in poor form and without much hope of catching their rivals at the summit, but they recently proved in the Scottish League Cup final that they can compete with this Celtic side in a one-on-one encounter.
The hosts will, of course, be buoyed by a fiery Ibrox, but the reigning champions have shown an impressive ability in recent years to win away at their fiercest rivals without too much fanfare.
Celtic are supreme in defense and undoubtedly the superior team. This should appear again here.