Celtic vs Rangers preview: Team news, likely lineups and score prediction

Celtic and Rangers meet for the final time this season on Sunday, with the hosts’ title hopes hanging by a thread.

Those ambitions were badly damaged for Rangers on Monday, with Danny Rohl‘s side losing 2-1 to Hearts at Tynecastle.

Barring a miracle, Rangers are out of the race, and a Hearts win over Motherwell on Saturday would confirm it.

Celtic, though, remain three points off the top with three games left, giving the Gers the chance to have a major say in the title outcome at Parkhead.

Rangers will be intent on dragging their rivals down with them as they head into the final Old Firm clash of the campaign seeking a return to winning ways.

Form guide

After a catastrophic season, Martin O’Neill’s Celtic have steadily chipped away at the gap at the top for several weeks.

Unbeaten in five going into Sunday, they will be looking to respond to Hearts’ result the night before.

Rangers have reopened their campaign woefully, with successive defeats by Motherwell and Hearts leaving them in their current predicament.

While their title ambitions are all but over, it is imperative that Rohl’s side rediscover form this weekend and finish the season on a positive note.

Celtic (last six games all comps): WWWWWL

Rangers (last six games all comps): LLWWWW

Head-to-head

As history shows, head-to-head records count for little in the derby.

That said, Celtic have pulled clear over the past decade, emerging as Scotland’s dominant force while Rangers endured the struggles of the 2010s.

The Old Firm has been fiercely contested of late. The sides shared a 2-2 draw at Ibrox in March before Celtic won the following meeting 4-2 on penalties in the cup.

Rangers, however, have already won at Parkhead this term, with Mikey Moore starring in a 3-1 victory at the turn of the year.

Team news and predicted lineups

Rohl received a timely boost before the trip to Edinburgh, with Ryan Naderi returning to the squad after a spell on the sidelines.

The towering forward joined from Hansa Rostock in January and had begun to flourish at Ibrox before his untimely setback.

Back in contention alongside fellow January signing Tuur Rommens, Rohl may opt for a back-to-basics approach after the recent run.

That would see Andreas Skov Olsen make way for Djeidi Gassama, while Dujon Sterling shifts to right-back following Rommens’ return, replacing captain James Tavernier after his howler at Tynecastle.

For Celtic, O’Neill remains without several players for the rest of the season.

Kasper Schmeichel, Julian Araujo, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota are all sidelined, so much of the side could stay unchanged after Sunday’s 2-1 win over Hibs.

Predicted Celtic XI: Sinisalo; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Engels; Yang, Nygren, Tounekti; Maeda

Predicted Rangers XI: Butland; Sterling, Djiga, Fernandez, Rommens; Chukwuani, Raskin; Gassama, Naderi, Moore; Chermiti

Celtic man to watch: Benjamin Nygren

With 15 goals and five assists this term, Swedish midfielder Benjamin Nygren is Celtic’s most productive player this season.

Though still to score in the derby, Nygren has registered two assists against Rangers.

With O’Neill aiming to keep their title hopes alive, he will look to the Swede again when Rangers visit on Sunday.

We say: Celtic 1-2 Rangers

Heading into the weekend, victory is imperative for the Gers.

In the final Old Firm clash of the campaign, they have the chance to dent their rivals’ title bid, while Hearts could stretch the gap to six points with a win over Motherwell.

A return to winning ways would also set up hopes of a strong finish to the season, with Rohl’s side heading to Parkhead looking to make another statement after their 3-1 win there earlier in the campaign.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.