EVEN in one of the most notoriously challenging fixtures to call, Wednesday's Old Firm showdown is a tough one for punters to lay down their money…and the Aaron Ramsay factor has made it even harder.
Celtic have cut the gap at the top to just two points and will go top if they defeat Rangers, who have wobbled recently after a draw at Aberdeen, an unconvincing late win at home to Livingston, then a disastrous injury time loss of a goal at Ross County to throw away a lead twice and draw 3-3.
You could be forgiven this week for thinking Rangers had signed the second coming after the euphoria that greeted the arrival of Juventus midfielder Ramsay, but there's no doubt his name alone is a huge coup for the club and Scottish football…IF they can keep him fit.
In contrast, Celtic's raw recent form looks outstanding – since a dreary goalless draw at home to Livingston at the end of October, they have won 15 of their 17 games in all competitions with the only loss coming against Bundesliga high-fliers Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
However, closer examination shows they have relied on many of those wins by seats of the pants job, with last minute winners and of those 15 wins out of 17, 11 have come by one goal.
But the key thing could be the players who won't be in Glasgow. Callum McGregor and Kyogo Furuhashi are huge losses, while jetlagged striker Daizen Maeda might make it back from playing for Japan in time of the game, Tom Rogic won't.
And Rangers will also be without Alfredo Morelos too who is on international duty.
How the bookies view it
Celtic go into this as favourites and are generally just a shade over evens. SBK's 13/11 is the best price. Rangers can be backed at 14/5 with bet365 which will appeal to their fans. The draw is 23/10 with McBookie.com.
Recent head to heads
Rangers have turned this fixture around recently and have the upper hand, They won 1-0 at Ibrox in August as can be seen below and also won four of the five meetings last term. Celtic haven't won in the last seven meetings and haven't won at Parkhead since March 2019.
Players to watch
Jota got a half against Dundee United on Saturday and could be ready to start. He's the man who makes the Hoops tick and is 9/4 to score anytime with bet365.
Kemar Roofe has a very good big game record and looks certain to get the nod here with Morelos in South America. He's 15/8 to score.
Anything else catch the eye?
While the stars appear to be aligning in Celtic's favout to top the table with a win, they look miles too short with so many key players missing or not fully fit and they've choked in this fixture too many times recently to bet them at almost evens with confidence.
Rangers look to have a superior and more physical midfield and that could be a key battlefield. However, Rangers do look vulnerable at the moment and will have no away fans, so they will need to stand up and be counted.
Because they are so big to win, the value could be on a Rangers draw no bet at 31/20 at Paddy Power.
Given it's almost certain Celtic will rush out the traps here, Rangers may have to be content with a sitting job in the first half. They might get opportunities against a tiring Hoops team after the break and the 13/8 for Rangers to have the second 45 minutes as the highest scoring half could be a shout.
As always with Celtic, corners could be the main attraction. They are 4/5 to get six or more with bet365, but go higher with them to win the corner count minus one at evens with the same firm.
This Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers will be played on Feb 2, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
