Rangers vs Celtic
8th December 1500hrs
Football – Scotland – League Cup
Pick Over 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Marathonbet
Odds: 22/25 odds taken 2000 GMT, Saturday 7 December)
The two biggest clubs in Scotland face each other for the first trophy of the season at the national stadium on Sunday. Rangers are looking for their first major trophy since being liquidated and stopping the dominance of rivals Celtic.
Scottish League Cup Betting at Marathonbet
Rangers Preview – Will Rangers win their first major trophy since liquidation in 2012?
Steven Gerrard knew coming into this season that silverware was almost essential. His Rangers team finished well behind Celtic in the league and exited the two cup competitions at the semi-final (League Cup) and quarter-final stages (Scottish Cup). There was improvement in the team’s performances, however, and it gave them something to build on. That improvement has continued – so much so that they are two points behind Celtic in what looks to be a very tight and tense title race. They are a point away from qualifying for the knockout phase of the Europa League, too. The next thing that Gerrard has to do is win a trophy. This is his best opportunity of doing just that as it’s his first final as Rangers boss.
Their run to this stage has been pretty straightforward with wins over East Fife and Livingston in the earlier rounds. Hearts proved to be no match for them in the semi-final at the beginning of last month, either. Gerrard will be demanding that his team handle the occasion just as well tomorrow and clinch their first major trophy since liquidation seven years ago.
Celtic Preview – Are Celtic set to continue their domestic dominance and pick up their 10th consecutive trophy in Scotland?
We have come used to seeing Celtic in finals and also winning them. No other team in Scotland has won a major trophy since May 2016 when Hibernian defeated Rangers in the Scottish Cup. It’s been total domination for Celtic since – winning three consecutive domestic trebles. They have faced Aberdeen twice in the League Cup final, either side of a clash with Motherwell in 2017. All of those came under Brendan Rodgers, though, and Neil Lennon has yet to win this trophy as a manager – it’s the only one that alludes them.
Celtic were troubled by Championship side Dunfermilne in their first game in this season’s competition. They required extra-time to progress from that but have since hit 10 goals in their next two games. Partick Thistle were beaten 5-0 before Hibernian being brushed aside 5-2 in the semi-final. The last time Celtic lost at the national stadium was back in May 2016… to Rangers. They have since beaten them three times at the semi-final stage of both cup competitions and looking to make it four in a row. Lennon knows none of that will count for anything tomorrow, however.
Key-Facts – Rangers vs Celtic
- Rangers are looking to win their first major trophy since liquidation in 2012 in what is their first final under Steven Gerrard
- Celtic have been on an unprecedented run of winning trophies in Scotland following three consecutive clean sweeps – they are going for 10 in a row here
- This will be the first meeting in a final of these two Glasgow clubs since 2011 when Rangers were successful 2-1