Sunday 2nd September 1200hrs Celtic v Rangers Football – Scotland – SPFL Premiership It’s the first Glasgow derby of the season in Scotland and there’s a sense that this one could be very special. It will be the first for Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and it just happens to be against his former manager in the opposite dugout, Brendan Rodgers. Both clubs had good results in Europe in midweek that sees them qualify for the group stages of the Europa League and they now know their fate after Friday’s draw. All of that will be insignificant and forgotten about, however, come noon on Sunday as they go all out to get the three points. Continue reading for a preview and selected… of a massive game as Celtic face off against Rangers.
Celtic have had an underwhelming start to the season on the pitch but there have been explosions off it. The club have failed in their aim to reach the group stages of the Champions League, looked a shadow of themselves in their domestic games to date and there have been any number of incidents involving key players being linked with – and at times actively pushing for – moves away from the club. Moussa Dembele is the latest to voice his disappointment at not being allowed to leave but at the time of writing he looks set to remain a Celtic player for now. Rodgers has been able to bring in a couple of late additions but overall it has been a disappointing and poorly handled transfer window for the Scottish champions. They come into Sunday’s match having won two of their first three league games but performances have been below par and they have to raise it for the visit of Rangers. There were some signs of them doing just that in the second half of their Europa League game against Suduva on Thursday night and Rodgers will be hoping they can continue where they left off as their biggest rivals come calling.
It has been a relentless start for Steven Gerrard since arriving at Rangers. Bearing in mind this is his first managerial job in senior football then he had plenty to contend with, not least a gruelling qualification campaign to reach the Europa League and courtesy of a 1-1 draw with UFA in Russia on Thursday, it has been mission accomplished. Rangers ended that game down to nine men but were still able to see out their 1-0 win from the first leg to progress and make it in European competition proper for the first time since 2011. Winning through four qualification rounds at this early stage of the season is no mean feat and they can now look forward to the prestige of some big European nights as well as the financial rewards it brings. It’s back to league business on Sunday though as the new look Rangers make the short journey to Glasgow’s East End and try to lay down a marker against the current champions. As positive as their European results have been at Rangers they have won only one of their first three league games this season, losing last minute goals away to Motherwell and Aberdeen and dropping valuable points in the process. That said, a win on Sunday would see them leapfrog Celtic in the table and they would certainly have taken that four games into the campaign.
There’s so many variables going into these games but this one particularly so for Celtic as Rodgers is still in limbo as to the future of star striker Dembele who seems intent on forcing a move through to Lyon before the close of the transfer window. As it stands it would be unlikely he’ll have any part to play in Sunday’s game no matter if he’s at the club or not considering everything that has went on so it would seem the most likely starter up top is Leigh Griffiths. So often used as backup in the past, Griffiths scored his 100th goal for the club in Thursday’s win over Suduva and will be hoping he can start his next century on Sunday.
Rangers had to endure a long trip home after the game on Thursday and that travelling is not ideal so close to such a big game but the squad will be buoyed by their achievements to date and the adrenaline alone will no doubt see them through this game. Gerrard has decisions of his own to make with some players returning from injury, a couple of new signings and what formation to use all giving him food for thought. Alfredo Morelos was the sinner with his first half red card on Thursday but he will almost certainly lead the line on Sunday and looking to add to what has been an impressive start to the season. He may well be joined by Kyle Lafferty, so often a thorn in Celtic’s side and has already scored a winning goal against the champions for Hearts, shortly before joining Rangers.
Celtic v Rangers Betting Tip
These games are usually frantic for the first 15 minutes and it’s often the case that a team can get an early goal in that time, which makes such a difference. It’s been Celtic who have ruled in this fixture. Since Rangers were promoted to the top flight the two have played 11 times across league and cup competition – Celtic have won nine of them. It has been utter dominance under Rodgers who has yet to taste defeat against Rangers, but the other side of the city is beginning to feel like their day may just be round the corner. With all the bickering ongoing within Celtic at the moment, Gerrard’s Rangers will be looking to take advantage. They showed on occasion last season that they can cause their rivals problems but it’s putting all that together over 90 minutes that’s the challenge – and away from home as well.
There’s bound to be drama, it’s likely there will be some controversy and we’ll be talking about that until the next game comes around. In terms of a betting selection I am very keen on Celtic in this one and despite their troubles off the park they are superior on it and can continue their domination over their arch rivals.
Selection: Celtic 8/13 @ Betfair
