Celtic face Rangers this afternoon as Brendan Rodgers’ side travel across Glasgow to Ibrox for the first game of 2025. Celtic picked up the Premier Sports League Cup against their bitter rivals after a dramatic day at Hampden last month but can take a step towards a fourth successive Premiership title with three points in Govan.
Celtic have emerged victorious in the two meetings between the sides this year and will be eager to extend this with a win over their rivals. For Rangers manager Philippe Clement, he is in last chance saloon and knows that he needs a win to keep the baying crowd at bay.
Team News
Celtic have just one injury to contend with – the absence of veteran winger James Forrest. Apart from the hugely decorated Celt, Brendan has a full squad to pick from – unlike Clement. The Irishman has a number of calls this afternoon – whether to continue with Liam Scales over Auston Trusty, Arne Engels or Paulo Bernardo and Greg Taylor or Alex Valle.
In goals, Kasper Schmeichel will start. The Danish goalkeeper denied Yilmaz during the shootout at Hampden to help Celtic to the first piece of silverware of the season.
In defence, expect Brendan to go with the experience of Greg Taylor at left back with Alistair Johnston at right back. Cameron Carter-Vickers will start in the central pairing with Liam Scales starting ahead of Trusty.
In midfield, Arne Engels has been excellent recently and you would expect that he starts alongside skipper Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate.
In attack, Kyogo will start through the middle with Daizen Maeda on the left and Nicolas Kühn on the right.
Referee Details
Experienced referee Don Robertson has been appointed as referee. Robertson, who last officiated Celtic in their 1-0 away with against Aberdeen, will be assisted by David Roome and Ross MacLeod.
Meanwhile, at Clydesdale House, Nick Walsh is on VAR duties with Daniel McFarlane assisting.
Kick Off Time
The game kicks off at 3pm.
Where to Watch
The game will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football with coverage starting at 2pm with Chris Sutton behind enemy lines for the game. Sky have previously had former Celtic heroes Neil Lennon, Martin O’Neill and Stan Petrov in the studio but we will know shortly who is in situ for the game.
We were utterly awful today, passing was woeful and we offered zero threat up front. The Huns were always going to be up for a fight and we weren’t. The number of balls given away in midfield was criminal and, even when we lost a soft goal, we still played the usual sideways, backwards stuff. Even the keeper was off key, but he wasn’t alone. Up front we showed no skill and best not to comment on the midfield. I know I’m annoyed writing this, but that was embarrassing.