Celtic may have wrapped up the Scottish title to close out April, but now they get to take that celebration on the road to Glasgow to face their rivals, Rangers, in the latest installment of the Old Firm. This is Celtic’s 55th league title, bringing them to a tie with Rangers for the most in Scottish Premiership history. Holding an astounding 17-point advantage over Rangers, being able to win this match would be another feather in Brendan Rodgers during what has been an impressive time leading Celtic.
Despite not advancing in Champions League play, Celtic were still able to push Bayern Munich during the playoff stage as they work on ascending back to being a force in European play, along with in Scotland. Rangers will need to do significant work to catch up to their rivals, but winning a rivalry match at home would be a step in the right direction.
Here are storylines, how you can watch the match, and more:
How to watch Rangers vs. Celtic, odds
- Date: Sunday, May 4 | Time: 7 a.m. ET
- Location: Ibrox Stadium — Glasgow, Scotland
- TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Rangers +245; Draw +265; Celtic -106
Last meeting
After building a 2-0 lead in the first half of play, Rangers were actually able to win the last meeting between these sides at Celtic Park in March. Breaking Celtic’s strong run of form, Rangers were able to respond to Celtic, bringing things level with an 88th-minute winner. It was a keeper assist from Jack Butland to Hamza Igamane that led to the eventual winner, and Rangers will want to replicate this at home.
What the coaches are saying
Technically, this is a match where Celtic should be given a guard of honor after clinching the league last week. But due to the nature of this rivalry, Rodgers isn’t anticipating that his side will be given a pleasant welcome at Ibrox.
“The guard of honor thing, it’s not a rule, that’s the first thing I would say. It’s not in the rules that you have to do it. And I think that when two clubs and the rivalry are so emotional, it’s always difficult for the team that comes up short,” Rodgers said.
“So, it’s one that I’m relaxed either way on it. It’s one where I’m a little bit of a traditionalist because there’s a lot of things that are going out of our game over on these isles that are just moving away from the traditions of the great managers and the great people that ran our game and were successful in our game.”
Celtic’s celebration may need to wait another week, but the fact that Rangers need to deny Celtic that honor is still something that will be sweet for the team.
Predicted lineups
Rangers: Liam Kelly, Robin Propper, Clinton Nsiala, James Tavernier, Bailey Rice, Jefte, Mohamed Diomande, Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igmane
Celtic: Viljami Sinisalo, Anthony Ralston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Arne Engles, Reo Hatate, Nicolas Kuhn, Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah
Player to watch
Daizen Maeda, Celtic: It’s a tight race for the Golden Boot in Scotland as Maeda and Simon Murray are currently tied with 16 goals. With the season coming to a close, this would be a great chance for the Celtic forward to not only pull past Murray but also his own teammates. Kuhn and Idah are also in the race for the Golden Boot, which shows just how hard to beat Celtic has been this season. Kuhn has 13 goals while Idah has 10, so it’ll take some impressive performances for them to end up atop the charts, but when this is a Celtic side that can score with ease, stranger things have happened.
Storyline to watch
Can Rangers protect Ibrox?: Already not expected to give Celtic a guard of honor, Rangers will need to make sure to take things a step further and not roll over to Celtic. Generally, the home team has won these matches with Rangers being the first away side to win an Old Firm in the last five meetings, but that’s also what will give Celtic extra motivation. With nothing to play for in the league, Rodgers will have his side playing for pride, and there’s no greater pride than toppling historic rivals in their own house.
Prediction
Celtic will do enough to go ahead early and then hold that lead for the remainder of the match. Looking to get Maeda a Golden Boot at the end of the season, Celtic will create quite a few chances en route to victory, leaving more questions for Rangers to answer during a long offseason, looking up at their rivals in the table. Pick: Rangers 1, Celtic 3
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