- Celtic are on a five-game winning run in all competitions, scoring ten goals in the last five.
- Rangers are on a run of three wins and two defeats in their last five.
- Rangers are vulnerable on the counter-attack and Celtic have become more proficient at set-pieces under Martin O’Neill.
Rangers’ rough edges need smoothing ahead of Old Firm
Celtic FC are 2nd in the Premiership - Championship Round 2026 table with 73 points from 35 games, four ahead of 3rd-placed Rangers, who are reeling from back-to-back defeats ahead of this derby.
The Hoops have hit top gear with five straight wins in all competitions, including their 6-2 extra-time thrashing of Saint Mirren in the Scottish FA Cup, and back-to-back league victories over Falkirk (3-1) and Hibernian (2-1).
Interim boss Martin O’Neill has brought a degree of structure to Celtic, which was perhaps lacking in recent seasons, and a more measured approach that appears to be reaping rewards in the title run-in.
The Celts’ new-found stability is at odds with Danny Röhl’s Rangers, who will look to press Celtic at the highest intensity on Sunday. The Gers have won three and lost two of their last five, including a 6-3 victory at Falkirk that went off the rails late on.
Rangers have pressed with some success against weaker sides and created plenty of chances in their back-to-back Premiership defeats to Motherwell (2-3) and Hearts (1-2).
Röhl’s flexibility on display in Glasgow
Röhl, who has led Rangers since October 2025, has employed a flexible shape that looks to overload wide areas.
The German has often favoured a 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 system in which Rangers press high and look to play fast transitions with wide overloads.
That style, while producing some great results, has also led to lapses in concentration in key games. Celtic are the favourites for this clash at 11/10 with Rangers just a shade of odds longer at 11/5 and the draw 129/50.
O’Neill’s side have the form and home advantage to edge this one out, but we’ve seen Rangers make Celtic look silly with their direct, pressing style on a number of occasions. So we will swerve the match result markets and take the match to be over 2.5 goals at an extremely short 47/100 - it’s still the value selection given these two teams have averaged 2.0 goals per game over their last five meetings.
Celtic can make use of Gers’ gaps
Daizen Maeda is Celtic’s danger man with three Championship Round goals from two games and four in the club’s last five. Matt O’Riley offers a different dimension from midfield, but Celtic have been scoring enough goals with their frontline lately, so we’ll stick with Maeda as the anytime goal scorer choice.
Dujon Sterling leads the Rangers scoring charts with one goal in two Championship Round games, but Todd Cantwell, who has provided the creative spark for them in many games recently, could be the most likely to punish the Celts with his incisive play.
Celtic have the edge in the last five Old Firm clashes, with 2 wins, Rangers 1 and 2 draws, and beat the Gers 4-2 away from home in the 2025/2026 Scottish FA Cup eight weeks ago.
