Celtic and Rangers will lock horns this weekend in the first Old Firm Derby this season. The Premiership missed this blockbuster fixture of Scottish football for four long years but Rangers having made their way back to the Premiership, this will be a highly anticipated game. Old Firm Derby, a century-old marriage made in hell, is one of the most fierce rivalries in world football. It is much beyond just a game, it is a battle where each and every player will give everything in their locker.
Ahead of the much-anticipated Premiership encounter, let us take a look at five best encounters between the two Scottish giants over the years in League.
CELTIC 6 RANGERS 2 (2000/01)
New boss Martin O’Neil was just brought in by the Hoops and he became a massive fan favourite winning his first Old Firm Derby in an emphatic manner. A 6-2 win against arch rivals Rangers was a perfect way to make his mark among the fans. It was a dream debut for the manager at Parkhead. Eight goals and one red card- it was one of the most breath-taking Old-form Derbies ever and the Celtic fans will savour this game for eternity.
RANGERS 5 CELTIC 1 (2000/01)
Just three months earlier, Rangers were thrashed 6-2 by Celtic and it was a sweet revenge for the Gers. Lorenzo Amoruso, Barry Ferguson, Tore Andre Flo, Ronald de Boer and Michael Mols all found the net for the Gers. Even though Celtic won the title that term, this defeat to arch rivals Rangers took away some grandeur from their amazing title win.
CELTIC 5 RANGERS 1 (1998/99)
Celtic win the title in the previous campaign ending Rangers’ nine-year run but had lost title-winning manager Wim Jansen and were trailing Rangers by 10 points going into this November fixture. So the Hoops were on the back foot in this fixture but the game turned out to be a total delight for the fans. Celtic cruised to victory with a brace each from Lubo Moravcik and Henrik Larsson, before Mark Burchill made the scoreline more emphatic on the final minute.
RANGERS 5 CELTIC 1 (1988/89)
Rangers recorded their biggest win over Celtic in 28 years as they thrashed the Hoops 5-1 late August. Celtic had won the double just three months earlier but Graeme Souness’ Rangers side came up with a stunning victory. Two goals from Ally McCoist, plus strikes from Ray Wilkins, Kevin Drinkell and Mark Walters helped the Gers storm towards a historical win and it was only the start of the total dominance from Rangers in Scottish football.
CELTIC 5 RANGERS 1 (1965/66)
Let us take you back to a historical Old Firm Derby that took place 50 years back. Stevie Chalmers scored a sensational hat-trick for Celtic on a cold winter night at Parkhead and became the hero to the Hoops. We are now in 2016 ahead of what can possibly be another intense Old-Firm Derby in many years and we can expect it to be a cracker.
