Celtic will play hosts to Rangers at the Celtic Park as part of the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. The Hoops are cruising in the league at the moment and find themselves 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings. The Gers, on the other hand, are desperately trying to close the gap to their local rivals and now have the opportunity to knock them out of the Scottish Cup with a victory on Sunday.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has a terrific record in the Old Firm derby since taking over the Glaswegian club in 2016. He is yet to taste defeat in 9 derby matches versus the Teddy Bears, winning seven of those matches. However, the away side have a great opportunity to put a dent in Celtic’s season by claiming an unlikely victory this weekend.
The recent history of this fixture makes a grim reading for the Gers as they have not won in any of their last 12 meetings with the Hoops, losing 9 of those games. Rodgers is expected to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Graeme Murty also looking to apply the same formation.
Team News
Celtic
The Hoops got a massive boost when both Kieran Tierney and Craig Gordon returned from injury. There are no fresh injury worries for Brendan Rodgers to cope with and it is expected that the Celtic manager will a full squad to choose from!
Rangers
Andy Halliday could be in line for a start in the Gers first-team after his impressive showing in the second half versus Dundee. Ryan Jack, Lee Wallace, David Bates and Josh Windass are all out of this semi-final clash with long-term injuries.
Predicted Lineups
Celtic
Craig Gordon, Kieran Tierney, Kristoffer Ajer, Dedryck Boyata, Mikael Lustig, Scott Brown, Olivier Ntcham, Callum McGregor, Patrick Roberts, Lee Griffiths, James Forrest
Rangers
Wes Foderingham, James Tavernier, Ross McCrorie, Russell Martin, Declan John, Greg Docherty, Graham Dorrans, Daniel Candeias, Kenny Miller, Jamie Murphy, Alfredo Morelos
Key Men
Celtic
The performance of the front three of Patrick Roberts, Lee Griffiths and James Forrest will be integral if the Hoops are to get a positive result against their crosstown rivals on Sunday.
Rangers
The defensive duo of Ross McCrorie and Russell Martin would be required to put in a solid display in the Teddy Bears’ backline while Kenny Miller and Alfredo Morelos will be tasked to get the goals on the day.
Odds
Celtic win: 7/10
Draw: 13/5
Rangers win: 4
