Celtic and Rangers will have the opportunity to claim the first silverware of the 2024-25 season on Sunday afternoon as they face off in a highly anticipated Old Firm derby in the Scottish League Cup final.
The Bhoys are unbeaten in their previous 30 matches across all domestic competitions, while the Gers have avoided defeat in all of their last nine matches across all competitions.
Match preview
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Celtic have been an unstoppable force in domestic competitions so far this season, remaining without defeat across the Scottish Premiership, League Cup and Cup since a 2-0 loss to Hearts in the league at the beginning of March.
In fact, since that loss, the Bhoys have suffered just one defeat in the subsequent 36 games across all competitions, with their only setback coming in a 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund on matchday two of this year's Champions League league phase.
Brendan Rodgers faced heavy criticism after that humiliating loss, but his side have bounced back brilliantly with 10 wins and four draws, helping them to lead the Scottish Premiership with 43 points, nine ahead of second-placed Aberdeen, while they are also on track to qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2012-13.
That remarkable form and strong start to the campaign will give the Bhoys significant confidence heading into this game, especially considering they have remained unbeaten in the last six Old Firm derbies, including a 1-0 win in last term's Scottish Cup final.
The Gers have also shown signs of weakness and vulnerability throughout the opening stages of 2024-25, although they have seemingly hit form at the perfect time with six wins and three draws in their last nine outings.
That marks a significant improvement compared to their start to the season, which saw Rangers lose five of their first 17 matches across all competitions, as well as making their worst start to a campaign since returning to the top flight in 2016-17 after 13 fixtures.
As a result, Philippe Clement's position at the club has come under intense scrutiny, with the Gers already trailing Celtic by 11 points after 15 games, but their recent form has helped boost confidence at Ibrox.
Despite failing to secure all three points in their last outing, a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, a fantastic performance where they were comfortably the better side will undoubtedly do wonders to their confidence heading into this one, as they aim to defend their Scottish League Cup trophy having won last year's final 1-0 against Aberdeen.
Team News
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The hosts are certain to be without the services of Odin Thiago Holm, who has been out of action since the beginning of November due to a calf injury, with the midfielder expected to return later this month.
Having avoided any other fresh injury concerns, Rodgers has a virtually fully-fit squad to choose from, and he could revert back to the same team that devastatingly beat Aberdeen 6-0 in the Scottish League Cup semi-final.
As for Rangers, Neraysho Kasanwirjo is sidelined until next year due to a knee injury, while both Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo are also out, with their returns expected in the coming weeks.
John Souttar came off in the draw with Tottenham last time out, meaning Leon Balogun is likely to partner Robin Propper at the heart of defence, while the rest of the team could remain largely unchanged.
Hamza Igamane opened the scoring in that match, his fifth goal in his last five appearances, and the striker is anticipated to keep his place in attack ahead of Cyriel Dessers.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Valle; Hatate, McGregor, Engels; Maeda, Furuhashi, Kuhn
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Balogun, Propper, Jefte; Barron, Raskin; Cerny, Diomande, Yilmaz; Igamane
We say: Celtic 2-0 Rangers
While Rangers are in improved form over the past weeks, Celtic have been an unstoppable force this season, and we believe they will continue their strong run with a win here to lift the cup.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
