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Rangers v Celtic
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Kick Off: Thursday 2nd January at 15:00
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Competition: Scottish Premiership
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Watch Live: Sky Sports
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Rangers v Celtic Bet Builder Tips
Rangers face the challenge of restoring some pride to their season as they welcome a Celtic side that already looks nailed on to win the Scottish Premiership as the first game of 2025 approaches.
The Gers slipped 14 points off the pace of their great rivals on Sunday as they were held 2-2 against Motherwell away from home while their neighbours eased to a 4-0 success against St Johnstone.
Despite the discrepancy between these sides in the league table, Philippe Clement’s side pushed the Hoops close in the League Cup final and will be going all out for victory in what is sure to be a blood-and-thunder encounter.
⭐ Rangers v Celtic Best Bets
Simply backing Celtic to win this match looks to be excellent value given the dominance that the Parkhead club have displayed this season in the Scottish Premiership. Brendan Rodgers’ side, after all, have won 16 of their 18 league matches, including a 3-0 success at home over Rangers in September.
The Ibrox club are teetering on the brink of implosion after losing to St Mirren and then turning in a wretched display against Motherwell. Celtic have won 5 of the last 7 between these clubs.
The encounter between these teams just a couple of weeks ago at Hampden was a thriller, with the teams sharing a 3-3 draw through 90 minutes, before Celtic edged the game on penalties.
Goals have been a common feature in recent clashes between these clubs, with 5 of the last 6 games ending with the ball hitting the net at least 3 times. That trend continued in the previous league encounter, which the Hoops claimed 3-0. With Rangers liable to play a makeshift centre-back pairing, look for that trend to continue.
Celtic to win without conceding looks excellent value based upon their defensive record and the fact that they have won 4 of the last 9 matches between these clubs without leaking a single goal.
Rodgers’ side have kept 6 successive clean sheets in the Premiership while they have shut their opponents out in 15 of the first 19 encounters of the season.
Rangers have scored in 10 successive league matches, but they have netted only once in 6 of these games, typically against far weaker opponents than Celtic.
👕 Rangers v Celtic Predicted XI
🔍 Rangers v Celtic Players to Watch
🟢 Kyogo Furuhashi
Kyogo hasn’t enjoyed his best season as a Celtic player, yet he has historically thrived against Rangers. He has 6 goals in his last 6 league matches against the Gers, scoring in 5 of these encounters, including twice at Ibrox.
Worryingly for Rangers, their great nemesis is coming into some scoring form, with 4 goals in his last 6 league games. Netting twice against St Johnstone at the weekend will only have sharpened the Japanese’s confidence prior to the short trip to the south side of the Clyde.
🟢 Nicolas Kuhn
Nicolas Kuhn has emerged as a key player over his year at Celtic and has come into his own this season. He has 7 goals and 6 assists in the league so far this season, equating to a decisive action on average 1.23 times per 90 minutes.
He has only been booked 6 times in his Celtic career, but 3 of these have come in 5 appearances against Rangers, 2 of which were cameos of under 20 minutes off the bench.After he scored in the recent League Cup final, there are a myriad of betting possibilities on the attacking midfielder, who celebrates his 25th birthday on January 1.
📂 Rangers v Celtic Cheat Sheet
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💻 Rangers v Celtic Form and Tactics
Philippe Clement comes into this match with a point to prove after his recent rotation policy has been perceived to have cost his side both rhythm and points. Prior to the League Cup final, the Gers seemed in fine fettle but losing that on penalties to Celtic has proven a complicated setback and they have since won only 1 of 3.
The Light Blues are far more accomplished at home than on their travels, where their recent adverse results have come. At Ibrox, they have won 8 of 9 in the league.
At their best, they have been intense in their pressing and dynamic in their forward play, yet too often this is a face they have not shown. Vaclav Cerny has been key on the wing, while Hamza Igamane has emerged as a hero in recent weeks and is up to 4 league goals.
Defensively, meanwhile, there threaten to be major problems, with John Souttar and Leon Balogun both toiling with injuries. Robin Propper and Dujon Sterling were a central defensive combination that inspired little confidence as they conceded twice against Motherwell. Indeed, the only consolation the Gers can draw prior to this game is that Celtic will not employ the same high ball tactics that troubled the pair at Fir Park.
Celtic, meanwhile, are already the champions elect in Scotland, having blown their way to 16 wins in 18 matches, scoring 52 times and showing incredible defensive resilience to concede only 4. They have not leaked a goal in any of their last 6 league matches, notching up successive 4-0 wins over Motherwell and St Johnstone.
Rodgers’ side did not miss a beat against the Perth side on Sunday, easing to a simple victory even when rotating their side heavily. They managed 30 shots, with 11 on target. On average, they are averaging 20.94 shots, with 7.61 of these hitting the target.
Their rivals have been simply unable to match both the intensity and quality they play the game with. Look for them to go through the lines in their build-ups, with Callum McGregor liable to be heavily involved in this regard, but for the real damage to be done by Kyogo Furuhashi, who has 6 goals in his last 6 league games against Rangers, and Nicolas Kuhn, who has 1.23 goals plus assists per 90 in the league this season.
🏁 Rangers v Celtic Ref Watch
- Referee: Don Robertson
- He has overseen 21 matches already this season, during which he has brandished 83 cards, including 2 reds, at a rate of 3.95 per game.
- He averages 21.00 fouls per game this season across the Premiership and Nations League.
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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