Celtic vs Rangers Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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Celtic

vs

Rangers

KickoffSaturday 27 February 2027, 3:00pm

VenueCeltic Park

CompetitionScottish Premier League

Celtic come into this Old Firm clash carrying scars. Six wins from six in the Scottish Premiership looks pristine on paper, but strip away the league form and Martin O’Neill’s side have been through the wringer. The Champions League dream died in brutal fashion, a 5-1 home hammering by LASK Linz sending them crashing out 5-4 on aggregate, and the wounds from that have not fully closed. Back-to-back defeats heading into Sunday, a 3-0 thumping from Rangers in the League Cup quarter-final and a 3-1 Europa League loss to Ferencvaros, have left the home support restless. Defensive errors have been the common thread in both of those losses, and O’Neill desperately needs a response.

Rangers, meanwhile, are coming into this fixture on the crest of a wave. Derek McInnes had a rocky start to life as Gers gaffer, with no wins in the first four matches and a Conference League exit thrown in for good measure, but since then his side have clicked into gear in a big way. Seven wins from their last eight, culminating in that dominant 3-0 victory over Celtic just days ago. The confidence in that away dressing room will be sky high right now, and McInnes will fancy his chances of making it back-to-back wins over their greatest rivals.

Celtic vs Rangers Match Details

Celtic host Rangers at Celtic Park in what is comfortably the biggest fixture in the Scottish Premiership calendar, with first place taking on second place and a five-point gap between the sides at stake. The added context of no away fans being permitted at Old Firm matches this season means the atmosphere inside the ground will be entirely green and white, which is a factor worth keeping in mind when assessing how the occasion might play out.

Team News

Celtic are dealing with a few absentees and O’Neill will need to shuffle his deck again after the midweek Europa League defeat. Rangers are slightly better placed but not without their own selection concerns heading into Sunday.

• Alistair Johnston is out for Celtic with an ongoing injury
• Callum Osmand and Jota are also unavailable for the hosts
• Yang Hyun-Jun is away on international duty with South Korea at the Asian Games
• Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland misses out with a hamstring problem
• Youssef Chermiti is a longer-term absentee for the Gers after a cruciate ligament injury
• Tuur Rommens and Jose Cifuentes are both potentially available for Rangers after recovering from injury, which gives McInnes a welcome selection boost

Predicted Lineups

O’Neill looks set to ring the changes after the Ferencvaros loss, with Tony Ralston and Auston Trusty likely to slot into the back four. Benjamin Nygren and Kasper Hogh are expected to lead the attack, giving Celtic a different look up top compared to recent outings.

Celtic: Johnstone; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Scales; McGregor, Baur; Hassan, Nygren, Duran; Hogh

McInnes, by contrast, has every reason to stick with what is working. The Rangers boss is expected to name an unchanged side from the team that dismantled Celtic in the League Cup, with Kevin Kelsy keeping his place after getting on the scoresheet last weekend.

Rangers: Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Neil; Naderi, Kim, Gassama; Kelsy

Recent Form

Celtic’s Scottish Premiership record is genuinely excellent, six wins from six, and that cannot be completely dismissed. When they turn up in the league they look a cut above the rest of the division. But form across all competitions tells a more complicated story. The Champions League playoff exit was devastating, and the two losses this week suggest a side whose confidence has taken a real knock. Shipping three goals in each of their last two defeats points to defensive frailty that a team as sharp in transition as Rangers will absolutely look to exploit.

Rangers started the season poorly, with results not going their way in the opening weeks and an early European exit compounding the frustration. But McInnes has clearly got his players believing in a system and a way of playing. Seven wins from eight across all competitions is a strong return, and the manner of the League Cup victory over Celtic was commanding rather than fortunate. They were not just better on the day, they were significantly better.

The momentum in this fixture belongs firmly to Rangers. Celtic have the home advantage and the crowd behind them, but a team playing with the kind of form and self-belief the Gers are carrying right now is a serious proposition regardless of the venue.

Head-to-Head Record

Rangers have a difficult recent record when it comes to visiting Celtic Park, winning just two of their last 12 trips to the ground. That is a stat McInnes will be very aware of, and it underlines how tricky this venue tends to be for the away side regardless of form going into the match.

That said, recent history between the two sides this season already shows Rangers with the upper hand, with that League Cup quarter-final result providing a significant psychological edge. Old Firm form from previous seasons becomes less relevant when one team is putting three past the other in the most recent meeting, and McInnes will use that result as a reference point for how his side can set up and hurt Celtic once again.

Key Stats

• Celtic have won six consecutive Scottish Premiership matches but have lost their last two across all competitions, conceding six goals in the process
• Rangers have won seven of their last eight matches, including a 3-0 victory over Celtic just days before this fixture
• Rangers have won only two of their last 12 visits to Celtic Park, highlighting how difficult the venue has historically been for the away side

Celtic vs Rangers Betting Tips

This is one of the trickiest Old Firm games to call in recent memory. Celtic have the home ground, a partisan crowd and a record in the league that demands respect. But Rangers are walking into this fixture with a swagger that is entirely justified given their recent performances, and the defensive issues Celtic have shown in their last two games make backing a clean sheet for the hosts a risky proposition. The smart angle here is to look at goals and cards markets rather than trying to nail a winner in what feels like a genuinely open contest.

Cards Prediction

Old Firm matches are rarely tidy affairs, and with tensions running high after the League Cup result and Celtic looking for a response, expect the referee to have a busy afternoon. Both sides press aggressively and neither back four is averse to a cynical foul when the game is slipping away from them. Over 4.5 cards looks a reasonable shout in a match this feisty.

Corners Prediction

Celtic will be pushing for a result at home and Rangers will need to absorb pressure at various points. With the hosts getting forward regularly and Rangers likely to sit deeper and hit on the counter, there should be a decent volume of set pieces. Over 9.5 corners feels about right for a match with this kind of attacking intent from the home side.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

Celtic have been leaking goals in their last two games and Rangers have a striker in Kevin Kelsy who already has their measure having scored in the last meeting. At the other end, Celtic have the attacking quality to trouble any back four even when they are not at their best. Both teams to score looks like a strong yes here.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Given the defensive vulnerabilities Celtic have shown and the potency Rangers have carried in recent weeks, this fixture has the makings of an open game. Over 2.5 goals is the call. The hosts need to attack to restore some pride, and Rangers have the tools to hurt them on the break when they do.

Correct Score Prediction

A draw feels the most likely outcome when you weigh up Celtic’s home record against Rangers’ brilliant recent form, and a 1-1 scoreline captures that balance well. Celtic get a goal to satisfy their supporters, Rangers nick an equaliser through a clinical counter attack, and both managers walk away with something to build on.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Kevin Kelsy is the obvious shout. He scored against Celtic last weekend, he is set to keep his place in the starting lineup, and he looks sharp right now. Rangers will look to get him into positions on the break and Celtic’s back four has shown it can be caught napping. Kelsy to open the scoring is a pick that carries genuine logic behind it.

Bet Builder Tip

Kelsy scoring in an open, end-to-end Old Firm fixture where both keepers are kept busy is a combination that hangs together nicely given the form of both sides heading in.

Final Match Prediction

This is a game where the head and the heart are pulling in different directions. Celtic at home in an Old Firm match, with a full stadium roaring them on and something to prove after two damaging defeats, is a powerful force. But Rangers are genuinely flying right now, and a team does not beat Celtic 3-0 one week and then suddenly forget how to play football the next.

The away record at Celtic Park weighs heavily against the Gers, but the momentum weighs heavily in their favour. We are going with a 1-1 draw, a result that reflects just how evenly matched these two sides are right now despite the contrasting emotions each of them is carrying into the biggest game of the Scottish football calendar.

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