It’s derby day in Glasgow on Saturday lunchtime as second-placed Celtic welcome third-placed Rangers to Celtic Park with both aiming to keep pace with Premiership leaders Hearts.
After a nightmare start to his reign as Celtic head coach by losing each of his opening four matches in charge, it appeared as if Wilfried Nancy was starting to gain some momentum following back-to-back wins at home to 10-man Aberdeen and away at rock-bottom Livingston.
However, the Hoops were deservedly beaten 2-0 away at in-form Motherwell, blowing the chance to go level on points with Premiership leaders Hearts.
Rangers have bounced back from their defeat at Tynecastle by recording consecutive home wins over Motherwell and St Mirren, with their 2-1 win over the Buddies on Tuesday night helping land a 10/11 winner for me.
Danny Rohl has now won eight of his 11 Premiership encounters since taking charge of the Teddy Bears (W8-D2-L1), with their win last time out moving them within three points of their bitter-rivals and just six behind the Jambos.
How the bookies view it: Hoops favourites
Despite losing five of their last seven matches in all competitions, Celtic have been installed as favourites to claim all three points, with bet365 pricing a home success at 10/11.
Rangers are 13/5 (bet365) to move level on points in the table with their old firm rivals, whilst the draw is 14/5.
Head to head: Five unbeaten for Gers
Perhaps a little surprisingly, Rangers are unbeaten in each of their previous five Old Firms inside 90 minutes (W2-D3-L0), with their Teddy Bears winning 2-3 on their last visit to Celtic Park back in March.
However, in their last meeting, Celtic did overcome 10-man Rangers in the League semi-final after extra time, before losing to St Mirren in the final.
Players to watch: Benjamin to bag again?
Benjamin Nygren has made a positive impact for Celtic since signing in the summer, with him scoring 10 goals and providing five assists across his 30 appearances in all competitions.
Three of those goals have come in Celtic’s last three matches in the Premiership, and the 5/6 on offer at bet365 for the Swede to Score or Assist on Saturday does appeal.
Thelo Aasgaard has had a slow start to life as a Rangers player following his move from Luton Town in the summer, and was sent off when these two sides last crossed paths in the League Cup semi-final at the beginning of November.
However, the Norwegian international has come into a bit of form, providing a goal contribution in each of Rangers’ last three Premiership clashes – including goals in those back-to-back home wins over Motherwell and St Mirren – and he is 11/8 at bet365 to Score or Assist on Saturday.
Predicted line-ups:
Celtic will be missing the injured Alistair Johnston, Cameron-Carter Vickers, Kelechi Iheanacho, Jota and Marcello Saracchi, whilst Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha are away to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Rangers will be missing a few players here, with Derek Cornelius, Oliver Antman, Nedim Bajrami and Bailey Rice all injured, and Nasser Djiga, who is away at AFCON.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Yang, McGregor, Bernardo, Tierney, Hatate, Nygren, Maeda
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Sterling, Fernandez, Souttar, Meghoma, Barron, Raskin, Aasgaard, Moore, Chermiti
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic have been a shambles defensively since Wilfried Nancy has taken charge of the Hoops, with the Frenchman still yet to see his side keep a clean sheet in seven attempts, shipping multiple goals in six (86%) of them.
Six of those clashes have gone Over 2.5 Goals, with 5/6 domestically also seeing goals at both ends, meaning I’m leaning towards a high-scoring encounter with both sides desperate for all three points to try keep pace with leaders Hearts.
Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals was a winning selection when the two sides last met at Celtic Park back in March, and a repeat pays an appealing 10/11 at William Hill.
Think both sides will find the net? Our BTTS Masterclass explains how to spot the fixtures where goals are a given.
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