Rangers v Celtic (Premiership)

Sunday’s Old Firm match promised to be a pivotal encounter in the race for the Premiership title but while Rangers go into the match off the back of a strong European run, their domestic form has been seriously questionable.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have struggled past St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Dundee to record three successive victories, but given that all three of these teams are in the lower reaches of the table, this is little to shout about. Before then, they drew successive games against Motherwell and St Johnstone.

And, of course, before then they were routed 3-0 by Celtic in January in what was a thoroughly one-sided encounter. It was a game that showed that when the Hoops play with their maximum intensity, they are the better side.

Indeed, it is the Hoops who come into this match in more impressive form, having won their three March league fixtures by an aggregate of 9-1.

Although Aaron Ramsey seems set to be fit for this match, leading attacker Alfredo Morelos is liable to miss out for Rangers. Meanwhile, Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi is fighting to regain his fitness ahead of this match in what would be a major boost for the visiting side.

After losing their last four matches at Ibrox, Celtic seem poised to end their losing streak away to their great rivals.

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East Fife v Airdrieonians (League One)

Airdrie travel to East Fife knowing that if they pick up a win, they will pile the pressure on Cove Rangers ahead of their Sunday trip to Queen’s Park. 

The Diamonds face the bottom side having come close to trimming the gap to the leaders with a 1-0 win last weekend, only they suffered the concession of a stoppage-time goal, keeping them five points back. 

The visitors should feel confident ahead of this trip. They have won all of their previous three meetings with East Fife this season, doing so without the concession of a single goal. 

Furthermore, their opponents are showing little meaningful form coming into this game. Although they did record a 2-0 win over Dumbarton three weeks ago, that has been followed by comfortable defeats against mid-table opponents Clyde and Alloa. Indeed, Alloa’s 3-0 victory last weekend was alarmingly comfortable given it was a home fixture for the Fife side.

When East Fife have lost, meanwhile, they have tended to do so comfortably. Each of their last nine defeats in the league have come by at least two goals. 

Meanwhile, they are running into a team high in confidence and playing with some swagger. Airdrie’s last three victors have all come by a couple of goals and they already have two 3-0 wins over East Fife this season to their credit.

Airdrie should be backed to win a fourth successive away match, and for those seeking a little more risk in their bet, a -1 handicap is on offer at 3.6.

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Queen’s Park v Cove Rangers (League One)

There is much riding on this game for both Queen’s Park and Cove Rangers, with the visiting side closing in on the league title after securing a 1-1 draw against Airdrie last weekend thanks to a 93rd-minute equaliser. That preserved an undefeated record in the league that stretches back to October.

Cove, though, have not fared well against their Sunday hosts. Indeed, they have not defeated Queen’s Park in their three previous meetings this season and were held to a 0-0 draw when they previously met in Aberdeen in February. 

The Spiders, meanwhile, have started to find their feet a little in recent games after a long sequence in which they were prone to draws. They have won three of their last five, albeit all of their victims have come against clubs in the lower half of the table.

Queen’s Park’s matches this season have been characterised by being low-scoring affairs, in part due to the poor condition of the pitch at their adopted home of Firhill. The playing surface will be put to the test this weekend as QP’s game takes place just 24 hours after landlords Partick Thistle host Arbroath. 

The forecast is not for significant rainfall, but the park is unlikely to be in a condition conducive to good football. While that is likely to favour the visitors, it also means that the chances of defences being on top are higher. 

After these sides cancelled each other out in a stalemate in their previous meeting on an artificial surface, expect more of the same.

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Cowdenbeath v Stirling (League Two)

Sitting 12 points adrift at the foot of the table, Cowdenbeath have surely been consigned to their fate of a relegation playoff at the end of the season. While they have looked relatively solid defensively, they have been unable to get anything going at the other end of the field and have managed just five wins all season.

Cowden have typically lost games by small margins and indeed their defensive record is unremarkable compared to the other clubs outside the top three. The statistic of note, though, is that they have managed to score just 21 goals in 31 games – the poorest record in the league.

Similarly, Stirling’s problems have largely been in front of goal this season. The Binos are struggling to average even a goal per game. Nevertheless, a 1-0 home win over Stranraer last weekend has virtually assured their safety. A mass clearout is likely in the summer and the motivation to impress is likely to be low, with the fate of many players probably already sealed.

This is unlikely to be a thrilling match then. This fixture has been won by the home side in each of the three previous times it has been played out this season, including a 1-0 victory for Cowdenbeath at Central Park in December. 

Nine of Cowdenbeath’s last 12 league matches and seven of Stirling’s last 10 have produced fewer than 2.5 goals, and a similar outcome is expected in this encounter between two typically low-scoring sides.

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