Celtic vs Rangers – Preview, Lineups, Key Men And Score Prediction | OneFootball

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Celtic welcome Rangers to Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon looking to bounce back and ease growing pressure.

Rangers now have wind in their sails following last Sunday’s 3-0 win against Celtic in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals. They were dominant in front of the home crowd, enjoying more possession than Martin O’Neill’s team and having more shots on goal.

The occasion was marked by new signing Kevin Kelsy’s first goal in a Rangers shirt and Ryan Naderi’s impressive stint in a number ten role. Following the match veteran journalist Tom English lauded the German for hunting every ball down and putting in a terrific performance.

That match is now a thing of the past and the focus now turns towards today’s league fixture the same opponents. This time it is at Celtic’s home, where the Hoops have been traditionally good, at least against domestic opponents.

Thursday’s Europa League defeat against Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros was yet again an eye opener though, giving O’Neill the idea that despite the heavy spending over the summer, there are gaps to be filled.

The time for recuperation is limited and the players know well that their rivals will not be in any mood to show mercy at them. And, the job is really simple. Get out there, play for the shirt and prove to the fans that last Sunday’s defeat was just a one-off affair.

Celtic currently enjoy a five point lead at the top and know well that a loss would cut the gap down to two. It would also be their first defeat of the season in the league and would further anger the fans.

As far as Rangers are concerned, the motivation will also be equally strong. They have a whole lot resting on the league after an early exit from European competitions and a win would take both the team and their fans to seventh heaven.

Predicted Lineups

Recent Form (league)

Celtic: WWWWW Rangers: WWWWL

Key Men

Celtic

Celtic’s approach to games has come under the scanner of late, with one journalist dubbing them a ‘lazy team’ compared to how they used to be.

Club great Pat Bonner also hit out at them following their defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League by claiming that they do not have a plan B.

A response, therefore, is almost mandatory and one player who knows all about responses is club skipper Callum McGregor. The 33-year-old has been through the thick and thin of it all and has already issued a rallying call to his team-mates.

He will serve as a link between Celtic’s attack and defence and will also try to create opportunities for the attackers. He generally has an impressive passing rate as was the case against Ferencvaros on Thursday night where he completed as many as 62 passes.

In the absence of Yang Hyun-Jun, O’Neill may be tempted to play both Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh to give his team more attacking threat.

One can feed off the other to give the home team an exceptional attacking threat, which will keep the Rangers defenders on their toes, without giving them a moment of peace.

If they manage to find the back of the net early, they will have the fans on their toes cheering for them and that can instigate them even further.

Rangers

Rangers’ big-money signing Kevin Kelsy got his first goal in the Scottish League Cup win last weekend. It could be the start of a success story for the Venezuela international, who has played most of his senior football in the United States.

Though there are doubts over the availability of Ryan Naderi, who was one of the architects of Kelsy’s goal in the 3-1 win, others can step up to provide him with an all-important touch.

Standing at six feet four inches, Kelsy will be an aerial threat inside the Celtic penalty box and will be a target man for the two attack-minded full-backs.

Skipper Dan Neil, the man, who was the main man behind Celtic’s undoing the last time around, will be a threat once again. He will try to find gaps between Celtic’s midfield and defence and exploit the spaces.

Despite being just 24, Neil has matured since his Sunderland years. The Celtic players will also have in mind the fact that the Englishman was their chief destroyer just eight days back and that can give Rangers a psychological edge.

Match Prediction

Despite Rangers’ new-found confidence, following the Scottish League Cup win, Celtic Park can be a tough place to visit for any team. In form, Celtic would be tough for Rangers to handle, but whether the Bhoys can find that form is open to question.

Despite winning last weekend, McInnes is likely to take a somewhat cautious approach, at least early doors, at Celtic Park.

McInnes, who came close to winning the title last term with Hearts, will have to bring all his experience to the plate to catch Celtic at a vulnerable moment to get the best possible result.

If the home team manage to score an early goal, Celtic Park can become extremely hostile and the visiting team have to make all attempts to stop that from happening. Celtic look like a wounded animal at the moment and that just might help them.

Inside Futbol Score Prediction

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