BATTEN down the hatches for another Old Firm showdown on Sunday with the Viaplay Cup up for grabs in the final at Hampden Park.
Celtic and Rangers both have reasons for optimism going into this and now that the notorious Hampden playing surface appears to have been sorted, there's no reason why this shouldn't be a classic.
Ange Postecoglou's Hoops have been outstanding domestically all season and their numbers are frightening. They have played 31 domestic games in three competitions this season and won 29 of them.
Only a shock defeat to St Mirren back in September and a draw at Ibrox last month prevented the clean sweep. It's a level of consistency that is unrivaled.
With many of their top players in peak form – the like of Reo Hatate, Kyoko Furuhashi and a rock-solid central defensive partnership of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, they should be going into this full of confidence.
But Rangers have been pretty consistent recently too. They remain unbeaten under Michael Beale and looked very good indeed recently when they blew Hearts away at Tynecastle.
With key players Malik Tillman and John Lundstom winning their fitness battle, Beale has plenty of armoury too and remember Rangers beat Celtic last season in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden when they were underdogs.
How the bookies view it
Celtic have been backed all week and the 6/5 that was floating around has now gone. McBookie.com's 11/10 is about the best on offer.
Rangers are out to 23/10 with UniBet and that's sure to tempt their punters. The draw is 13/5 with UniBet.
Recent head to heads
Celtic were far too good for Rangers in September and crushed them 4-0, but Rangers nearly got their revenge at Ibrox last month and were two minutes away from winning before having to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Their last meeting at Hampden saw Rangers win 2-1 in April in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Players to watch
Kyogo Furuhashi is in great form at the moment and Rangers will have a tough job keeping tabs on him. He scored the equaliser at Ibrox and will get chances here. He is 29/20 to score with UniBet.
For all his criticism, Rangers look set to turn to Alfredo Morelos again and on his day, he can still be a real handful. The Colombian is 9/4 with UniBet to net on Sunday anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
While you can make a case for a win for both teams, there's a reason money has come for Celtic this week and they have to be the call here. At their best, they are unstoppable in Scottish football.
They have so many attacking options and huge strength in depth off the bench too. Rangers will more than likely attempt an intense pressing game that was so successful against Hearts. Unfortunately for Rangers, Celtic are not Hearts and in nearly every way you look at it, Celtic look too strong all over the pitch.
There should be goals and the call is also a Celtic win with both teams to score looks a generous price at 29/10 with William Hill.
In the last five meetings of the Old Firm, there has been less than ten corners on every occasion. UniBet offer 19/20 for under 10.5 on Sunday.
This Scottish League Cup match between Rangers and Celtic will be played on Feb 26, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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