Celtic have won 13 of their 14 home matches this season, showing outstanding form at home. They have won each of these games by at least two goals, scoring 48 times and conceding only three. They have already defeated Rangers 3-0 at home this season and will be doubly determined to win this match after losing to their great rivals by the same scoreline just after Christmas. Rangers played an intense match against Fenerbahce in midweek that will have drained the team both mentally and physically, giving them another obstacle to overcome before the short trip to the East End. The Gers have travelled poorly by their standards this season, winning only six times on their travels. Form showing few signs of improvement under interim manager Barry Ferguson, with a shock loss against Motherwell in their last Premiership outing. They were also 2-0 down to Kilmarnock before coming back to win.

Celtic have been rampant offensively this season when playing at home. They have scored an average of 3.43 goals in their fixtures at Parkhead this term in the Premiership. Rangers have very little defensive strength. They have conceded two goals in four of their last five matches. And have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last seven games. The Light Blues do have some scoring power to compensate for that. They have netted at least two goals in 10 of their last 16 games across the Premiership and Europa League. These teams have been involved in thrilling matches already this term. Each of the league matches has finished 3-0 to the home side, while the League Cup final ended 3-3 after extra time. Although there is little riding on this game in terms of the outcome of the league, it is likely to be an open and competitive affair.

Jefte has committed 25 fouls in the Premiership this season, which is only 4th-highest among Rangers players but still stands at 1.03 per 90 minutes. He is likely to come under more defensive pressure than he is used to in a typical Scottish Premiership match, with Nicolas Kuhn a likely head-to-head opponent, with the feisty Alistair Johnston – Celtic’s 2nd-most fouled player in the league – also drifting into his zone at times. Jefte has pedigree for committing fouls in these games. He has started each of the two previous Old Firm matches in the Premiership and has committed exactly one foul in each of these matches. Has committed at least one foul in three of his last four matches, with that run ended in midweek when he was taken off after 84 minutes against Fenerbahce.

Cerny has had 30 shots in the Scottish Premiership this season, which is more than any other active player in the top-flight. It equates to 1.35 shots on target per 90 over the course of the campaign. He has a terrific record for getting shots on target in recent months. Excluding domestic cup competitions, which statistics are not available for, he has had at least one shot on target in 29 of his last 31 matches for club and country. Managed a shot on target when Rangers last faced Celtic and had four attempts overall. Although Rangers have changed their system to a 3-4-2-1, Cerny continues to play a prominent role for Barry Ferguson’s side, acting as their chief no. 10 in behind and getting lots of shots away from around the edge of the box. If anything, his importance has only grown.

Celtic are the Premiership side that win the most corners by a comfortable margin. They win an average of 8.86 per match, which is a figure that rises to 10.21 when playing at Parkhead. Brendan Rodgers’ side rarely concede many either. Indeed, they average only 2.64 against them when playing in front of their home supporters in the Premiership. Rangers’ corner statistics look healthy on the face of it, as they win 7.07 per game and give up 4.34 overall, but this is heavily influenced by their home record. There is little difference between Rangers’ for and against corner count when playing on the road (6.0-5.5). In the only previous clash between these sides at Celtic Park this season, the home side won seven corners to Rangers’ four. This tallies with the overall pattern of the clubs this season.

Clashes between Rangers and Celtic are notoriously volatile affairs, with high card counts coming almost as standard. Rangers have seen 15 cards in the three matches they have played against their rivals this season, averaging 5.0 per game, albeit the League Cup final did go to extra time. They were shown five cards when they visited Celtic Park earlier this season from just 11 fouls. Manager Barry Ferguson will want his team to be very physical in this game. As a player, he was highly competitive and he wants his side to be like this. Prior to the Fenerbahce fixture on Thursday, he spoke about Rangers being ‘too nice’ and they picked up seven cards in that clash. Rangers have seen four or more cards in two of the four matches that Ferguson has overseen since he took interim charge, and that figure is likely to be magnified in a game like this.

With seven yellow cards to his name in the Scottish Premiership this season, Jefte is likely to be the Rangers player in Barry Ferguson’s starting XI with the most bookings in the competition this term. He is tied with Robin Propper, but the Dutchman is likely to be on the bench. Picking up cards at a rate of 0.29 per 90 in Scotland this term. Has been booked in both previous matches against Celtic in the Premiership this season, while he was also cautioned in his last Scottish Premiership outing against Motherwell. Operating as a wing back in recent matches, and this new role could cause issues in terms of him having to cover a good deal of ground against an expert offensive team, potentially getting caught in areas where he needs to make a tactical foul that leads to a yellow.

Diomande has been all-action in the previous Old Firm matches this season, posting high numbers of fouls committed and drawn. Winning five fouls at Parkhead when the teams met back in September, despite only playing 57 minutes of that game, then following that up with three at Ibrox in the last Premiership meeting between the clubs. He has won more free kicks this season than any other Rangers player in the Scottish top-flight, being fouled 39 times at a rate of 1.76 per 90 minutes. Set to be given a prominent role in this game. He will be asked to be brave in possession in tight areas while also playing a combative defensive role. This combination is likely to put him in the firing line to win free kicks once again.