Celtic and Rangers face each other in another Old Firm derby at Celtic’s home ground, with the midday kickoff carrying significance for both sides. The Guardian lists the starting lineups for the match, with Celtic selecting Sinisalo, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Donovan, Baur, McGregor, Tierney, McCowan, Duran and Nygren. Rangers name Pandur, Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice, Kim, Neil, Raskin, Gassama, Naderi and Kelsy.
The Guardian reports that Rangers are already out of Europe after losing their playoff ties for the Europa League and Conference League. The club’s immediate focus is now domestic, with a victory at Parkhead potentially opening up the title race.
Rangers won the previous meeting last week, according to The Guardian. The paper says Hearts currently sit between the two clubs in the table, adding to the importance of the derby for Celtic as well as Rangers. A defeat would compound what The Guardian describes as a difficult week for Celtic.
Rangers’ recent League Cup victory has also shaped the build-up. The Guardian says Dan Neil scored twice and Kevin Kelsy added a second-half goal in a convincing win, while the performance displayed a developing style based on physical commitment and repeated bursts of running. The paper described the quality as uneven but said the effort was enough to energise the 51,212 home supporters.
The result also gave manager Derek McInnes additional time and credibility, The Guardian reports. By contrast, Martin O’Neill was described as being in a difficult mood before and after Rangers’ Europa League defeat by Ferencvaros. The next Old Firm meeting is not scheduled until 3 January, increasing the attention on this contest.