Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Scottish Premiership meeting between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium. The hosts currently trail their Old Firm rivals by five points at the top of the table, but today is about more than just three points as they are also out to end the Hoops' hugely impressive unbeaten domestic run.

The defending champions have gone an incredible 56 domestic games since last tasting defeat, including 45 games in the Scottish Premiership. They are very much invincible right now, but this could well be their toughest test of the campaign, four days ahead of a massive European fixture against Anderlecht. Will visiting boss Brendan Rodgers have one eye on that match? Let us find out...

RANGERS TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Foderingham; Tavernier, McCrorie, Cardoso, Hodson; Candeias, Dorrans, Jack, Pena, Windass; Morelos

SUBS: Alnwick, Dalcio, Holt, A Wilson, Miller, Herrera, Nemane

The big team news as far as Rangers are concerned is that youngster Ross McCrorie comes in for his full debut. Boss Pedro Caixinha's hand has been forced somewhat as a number of injuries have come at the worst possible time, with Bruno Alves and Declan John both picking up minor knocks during the midweek Scottish League Cup win at Partick Thistle. McCrorie, capped just a couple of times by Scotland at Under-21s level, is therefore required for the big occasion.

The Gers are also without skipper Lee Wallace and centre-back Danny Wilson this afternoon, so their back four is made up of James Tavernier, McCrorie, Fabio Cardoso and Lee Hodson. Wes Foderingham does return between the sticks after missing out in midweek, however, and Daniel Candieas, captain for the day Graham Dorrans, Ryan Jack, Carlos Pena and Josh Windass make up the five-man midfield.

Three changes made by Caixinha on the back of that cup win against Partick but, rather surprisingly, Kenny Miller is not one of those to be welcomed back into the fold. The prolific striker instead has to settle for a place among the subs, as does fellow striker Eduardo Herrera and young defender Aidan Wilson. Alfredo Morelos is instead the man tasked with leading the line at Ibrox, with Windass and Candieas offering support from out wide.

CELTIC TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Boyata, Tierney; Brown, Armstrong; Roberts, Rogic, Sinclair; Griffiths

SUBS: De Vries, Bitton, Dembele, Hayes, Ntcham, McGregor, Forrest

On the face of it, Rodgers has named the strongest XI available to him for this opening Old Firm fixture of the season. I mentioned the massive European tie at Anderlecht in midweek, which could essentially determine which of the sides finishes third in a tough Champions League group, but all focus for now is on maintaining this unbeaten domestic run. Patrick Roberts, Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic start in attack, providing support for Leigh Griffiths through the middle.

Rodgers had a decision to make regarding the selection of Moussa Dembele, who made a scoring return to the side last week following his recent layoff through injury. The Frenchman was rested for the midweek cup win over Dundee, perhaps suggesting that he could be used from the off today, though that is not the case as Griffiths instead leads the line on his own. We will, however, surely see Dembele from the bench at some stage.

Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic start in the heart of defence, meanwhile, despite the latter missing out in midweek with a knock and seeing his training programme restricted this week. Erik Sviatchenko and Eboue Kouassi have both been struggling for fitness, meanwhile, and neither are included in the 18-man squad. James Forrest is perhaps a little unlucky to miss out, performing well when turned to but being made to settle for a spot on the bench today.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Since earning promotion back to the Scottish Premiership last year, Rangers have picked up one point from a possible 12 against Celtic, conceding 13 and scoring just four - including a 5-1 defeat here the last time the sides faced off in April. The Gers' last league win over their hated rivals at Ibrox Stadium came back in March 2012 when coming out on top 3-2 in a thrilling match that saw three players dismissed.

Rangers have made a decent enough start to their season domestically speaking, picking up 11 points from the first 18 on offer and making it through to the semi-final stage of the Scottish League Cup, where they have been kept apart from Celtic. The pressure has slowly mounted on Caixinha, however, pretty much ever since he saw his side knocked out of the Europa League at the qualifying stage against Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn.

The Gers were held to a 2-2 draw at Partick last time out in the league, though, a few days before beating the same opponents to keep their cup run alive. Prior to that they recorded back-to-back victories, leaving them five points behind the Hoops heading into this showdown in Glasgow. Some have questioned whether Caixinha is the right man to lead Rangers - three points today and he will go a long way to proving his doubters wrong.

In terms of the visitors, they are top of the division after winning five out of six games so far in the Scottish top flight - a 1-1 draw against St Johnstone a month ago the only blemish to date. Rodgers is aiming for another unbeaten season after so far avoiding defeat in his first campaign at the helm, though making more of an impact on the continent is a big priority for the Ulsterman this time around.

Celtic made it through to the Champions League proper once again this term, only to go down 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in their group-stage opener a week-and-a-half ago. Up next is Anderlecht, which really is a massive game for them, but that has not stopped Rodgers fielding arguably his strongest-possible XI today. The Hoops are unbeaten in the league since May 2016, winning 40 and drawing five since then, while overall domestically it is 56 games without defeat.

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KICKOFF! Alfredo Morelos gets us up and running at a raucous Ibrox Stadium, where Rangers are looking to end Celtic's unbeaten run while at the same time closing the gap on their Glasgow neighbours at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

SAVE! The visitors have made a bright start to the match, with Rogic barging through the opposition midfield and getting a shot away from the edge of the box which Foderingham did very well to help over the crossbar.

That would have been a disastrous start for the Gers had Rogic's powerful drive found the top corner - full credit to Foderingham for being alert to it, just a couple of minutes into the match. Windass is sent flying into Caixinha on the left, wiping his manager clean off his feet!

Celtic looking so much sharper than their opponents already. Brown with some good footwork to send his teammate clear, only for Ryan Jack to take him out. Griffiths's free kick ends a yard wide of the target, as Rangers continue to hold on.

A constant onslaught from Celtic in the opening nine minutes. Roberts and Rogic linked up down the right for the latter to get in behind, but McCrorie got back well to put his opponent off when he was looking to beat Foderingham from the angle.

No real sign of the flow of the game changing - Celtic continuing to pretty much control things, without creating a great deal. One big stop for Foderingham to make so far, coming just a couple of minutes into the contest.

PENALTY APPEAL! The hosts slowly managing to get foothold on the match. Sinclair gets to the byline and cuts the ball back into a central position, where Windass was waiting to head away. Prior to that Alfredo Morelos went down in the box but the referee waved appeals away.

Replays suggest that, on another day, Morelos may well have seen that penalty decision go his way. It was not to be on this occasion, though it does at least offer hope that the home side are starting to grow into the match a little more.

Tavernier is given something to chase down by Candeias, getting to the ball first and sending in a decent delivery for Simunovic to clear away. Much better from Rangers over the last five minutes following a difficult start.

The ball is fed to full-back Tierney in a central position and, rather than slotting it through for Sinclair down the left-hand side, he opts to go for goal himself. Wrong choice in the end, as the shot ended well wide of the target.

A far more balanced contest on our hands over the last seven or eight minutes. Celtic started by far the stronger and came close to scoring very early on, but they have gone off the boil in the attacking third all of a sudden.

SHOT! Griffiths attempts to curl the ball into the top corner of the net from 20 yards out, but the shot took a slight deflection and Foderingham was able to collect. Rangers giving their rivals a bit too much respect once again.

Celtic win themselves a contentious corner which comes to little, allowing Rangers to counter. The Gers also failed to show the quality required, though, with the final ball being easily dealt with when it arrived in the box.

Windass with a brilliant first touch out wide, which should have allowed him to burst down the flank. Armstrong put paid to that by taking out his opponent, though, somehow avoiding a yellow card from referee Craig Thomson.

Rangers seeing more and more of the ball in the attacking third now as Morelos, denied a shooting chance himself, lays it off to Dorrans in a good position. The former Norwich man took too long, though, and eventually sent a shot well over the bar.

Home fans well behind their side now as Tavernier sends in a dangerous cross towards Morelos, who could not quite connect at the back post after getting away from Simunovic. The Gers still yet to test Gordon a single occasion this afternoon.

SAVE! Just the one shot at both ends combined so far, coming a couple of minutes into the match when Foderingham denied Rogic. At least that was the case prior to Roberts getting in behind Lee Hodson and being denied by the Gers stopper at his front post down low moments ago.

Foderingham did well to deny Roberts from that latest Celtic opportunity, standing his ground at his front post to prevent the Celtic midfielder finding a way through. The Gers have lost their way over the last five minutes or so.

Rangers gets lucky as Armstrong stumbles just before he can get a shot away. The Bhoys getting in behind plenty of times in this first half, which is a real worry for Caixinha, but they have so far been unable to make it count.

Half time fast closing in now at Ibrox Stadium and we still await the opening goal. Celtic have been the better side overall and have probably done enough to warrant the lead, testing Foderingham on a couple of occasions so far.

Morelos caught offside for a fourth side in the opening 45 minutes - a real disappointment for the Gers. Still all to play for at Glasgow as this first half rather peters out, with neither side able to create anything in front of goal.

YELLOW CARD! The first yellow of the afternoon is shown to Morelos, who caught Boyata a little too late for referee Craig Thomson's liking. Not been too many challenges so far in what has been a tense first half in Glasgow.

The opening 45 minutes are up and the officials did not plan on adding on any additional minutes, but that challenge on Boyata - and the subsequent treatment he required - means that we will play a further 60 seconds.

The closest Celtic came to a first-half opener arrived just a minute or so into the contest, as Tom Rogic burst forward and sent a bullet strike towards the top corner for Wes Foderingham to help over. It took some time for the Gers to grab a foothold on the match, but once they did so they enjoyed some promising moments of their own, none more so than 13 minutes in when Alfredo Morelos was sent to the ground inside the box.

The Colombian striker saw his penalty appeal turned down by referee Craig Thomson, however, and soon after Leigh Griffiths came close to curling home the opening goal for his side. Foderingham was called into action once again late in the half to keep out Patrick Roberts after the Manchester City loanee got in behind down the right, seeing his shot saved down low at the front post.

Not a great deal in it so far, then, but it is fair to say that this one is as fiery as ever. As the teams were making their way down the tunnel Caixinha and Brown appeared to square up - not quite sure what that was about but we will no doubt hear more about it. We may well see a change in personnel before the second half gets under way, with Moussa Dembele - still not quite fully fit - among the visitors' subs.

RANGERS SUBS: Alnwick, Dalcio, Holt, A Wilson, Miller, Herrera, Nemane

CELTIC SUBS: De Vries, Bitton, Dembele, Hayes, Ntcham, McGregor, Forrest

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RESTART! We are back under way at Ibrox Stadium in this latest tussle between Old Firm rivals Rangers and Celtic. No changes by either manager at the interval, but expect that to change should we remain goalless come the hour mark.

CHANCE! Much like in the first half, Celtic start the second on fire. Sinclair turns his man one way and the other, before picking out Griffiths on the penalty spot. The striker's shot appeared to be blocked by McCrorie in front of goal.

Pinball inside the Rangers box as they look to defend a corner, which they eventually manage to do so. The second half shaping up in a similar manner to the first - the Hoops starting on top, though they did fade somewhat in the first 45.

From their sixth corner of the match, Celtic find a way through. Moments after failing to deal with one set-piece delivery into the box, Rangers again struggled. A shot from the edge of the box was not cleared by Fabio Cardoso and Ross McCrorie, and Rogic was there to punish them by belting into the back of the net.

RANGERS SUB! Caixinha springs into action by bringing on Kenny Miller for the ineffective Carlos Pena. A big surprise that the striker did not start today, being made to wait an extra hour or so to make his 400th appearance in Scottish football.

Better from Rangers, as they charge down the left and earn a first corner. It took Celtic six of them to finally find a way through, but the Gers did well from this first one as Tavernier headed back into the box for Gordon to pounce on the ball.

SAVE! A first save of the match for Gordon to make, standing tall to thwart Morelos. Miller initially did well to nod the ball into the centre, where the Colombian diverted it goalwards - top save from Gordon. Windass wayward from the next attack.

An hour of the match played at Ibrox Stadium and the onus is now on Rangers to find a leveller. A perfect position for leaders and defending champions Celtic to be in, as they can sit back and hit their opponents on the break should they wish.

SHOT! Celtic boss Rodgers is preparing to make his first change, with his side currently looking the more likely to score a second. Sinclair gets past Tavernier with ease and curls the ball narrowly over the crossbar.

CELTIC SUB! Tom Rogic, whose goal separates the two sides, is replaced by Callum McGregor with 25 minutes left to play. The oncoming midfielder is seeking a third-successive Old Firm goal in the remainder of the match.

Too easy for Celtic once again, as Roberts plays a simple ball in behind for Griffiths to latch on. The Scotland international was able to keep his composure and tuck past Foderingham to put his side well on course for another Old Firm victory.

We are getting to a point in the match now, with his side two goals up, Rodgers may consider resting a couple of players. Big game coming up in Brussels in four days' time, which the Hoops will head into full of confidence at this rate.

CELTIC SUB! Tavernier with a disappointing effort after getting in behind down the right. Roberts, whose assist set Griffiths away for the second, is replaced by James Forrest with a quarter of the contest left to play in Glasgow.

RANGERS SUB! Daniel Candeias is booked for a foul on Kieran Tierney. Caixinha has made his second change of the afternoon, bringing on Eduardo Herrera for Josh Windass with time fast ticking down to find a route back into the game.

It looks like being a third-successive win at Ibrox for Celtic - the first time they have managed that since 2004. Their unbeaten domestic run also goes on, now standing at 57 without defeat - 56 of those coming under current boss Rodgers.

Rangers seeing plenty of the ball at the moment, but that is largely because Celtic are allowing them to. Not been enough quality in the attacking third for the hosts; the decision to omit Miller from the off clearly backfiring.

Celtic were 5-1 winners here when the sides last met, remember, inflicting a record home defeat on their rivals in this fixture. No chance of a repeat today, with just 10 minutes left to play, but Dembele is about to come on and could cause some further damage.

CELTIC SUB! Moussa Dembele, who scored five times against Rangers last season, is on in place of Leigh Griffiths for the closing stages. A 100th league game in Celtic colours for Griffiths, which he marked with a goal.

Gordon is clattered into when collection a cross, leaving him in need of some treatment. Just seven minutes, plus around four or five minutes added on, left to play at Ibrox Stadium. Very little action in front of goal since Griffiths bagged the second.

SUB! A third and final change made by home boss Caixinha, bringing on Nemane for Candeias. Gordon is fine to see out the match following that fairly lengthy treatment - expect four or five minutes to be added on at the end.

SHOT! Route one from the Gers, as a flicked header at the end of a punt forward sends Morelos through. The Colombian still had work to do, though, and in the end he rather wastefully smashed the ball high over Gordon's crossbar.

Rangers pushing desperately for a goal, which would make things a little more interesting should they find one. No sign of that happening, however, as the hosts continue to struggle in the final third. A real gulf between the sides.

Five minutes have been added on at the end of the match. Another disappointing derby day experience for the Gers' faithful - this will make it three in a row that they have lost here, though they did claim a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park in-between.

Armstrong pulls the trigger from outside the box, sending a shot narrowly over the bar. That will likely be the last meaningful act of the contest, with around two minutes left to play of the five added on by the match officials.

Referee Craig Thomson blows his whistle for full time, bringing an end to a game that has essentially been over from the moment Leigh Griffiths picked out the back of the net. That strike added to Tom Rogic's earlier opener at Ibrox Stadium to see Celtic leave here 2-0 winners against Old Firm rivals Rangers.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Ibrox Stadium. There are numerous games taking place elsewhere this afternoon, though, so be sure to follow updates through our live score centre right here, while a recap of events from Glasgow can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!