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The Scottish Premiership title race could effectively be decided on Saturday lunchtime as Rangers make the short trip to Celtic Park to face Rangers. The match takes place at 12:30pm UK time.
Celtic
Celtic are on the cusp of securing yet another Scottish Premiership title. Having won 11 of the last 12, Ange Postecoglu’s side can effectively end their rivals’ faint title hopes with a victory on Saturday lunchtime.
Match has ended
The hosts are nine points clear coming into this fixture and are currently embarking upon a 10-match winning streak. They haven’t dropped a single point since settling for a 2-2 draw at Ibrox at the beginning of January.
Celtic are also aiming to protect their unblemished home record which has seen them win every single game in front of their own fans. They’ve also conceded just twice in their last six matches here and Rangers were unable to lay a glove on the hosts when they visited this stadium back in September. Goalkeeper Joe Hart has enjoyed a terrific season between the stick, keeping 14 clean sheets in 2,700 minutes played.
Postecoglu has been keen to introduce Celtic B players into his match-day squad recently with the likes of Rocco Vata and Ben Summers having featured during 2023.
The champions-elect has had a few injury issues recently with Greg Taylor and Aaron Mooy both missing last weekend’s victory against Ross County at Dingwall.
Rangers
Although Michael Beale has done an excellent job at Ibrox and can hold his head up high, the Rangers boss will be fully aware that his side may have to settle for second place this season. The Gers have presided over a ten match winning streak, yet they still trail their bitter rivals by nine points.
Beale has bumped into a rampant Celtic outfit and despite stringing together an impressive run of results, they simply cannot eat into the Bhoys’ substantial lead. With just seven matches of the regular season remaining, it would require a monumental collapse from the previously-unflappable leaders.
Full-back Ryan Devine is suspended for this weekend’s clash having been sent off for the B team whereas Rangers’ biggest injury concern is the potential absence of Nicholas Raskin who has yet to fully recover from a recent setback. If fit, the Belgian is likely to start alongside Ryan Jack and Todd Cantwell in midfield.
Head to Head
These two rivals have already met three times this season with Celtic having won twice. Ange Postcoglu’s side were victorious in the League Cup final back in February with Kyogo Furuhashi scoring a brace. The leaders were also successful at Parkhead (4-0) when these two sides met back in September. Rangers did manage to take a point off their rivals when they met at Ibrox at the beginning of the calendar year.
Historically, Celtic have dominated in this fixture and have won 16 of the last 30 meetings between these sides. Only five of those matches have ended all-square.
Although there have been some memorable matches between this pair, just 47% of the last 30 meetings have featured three or more goals.
Key Betting Stats
- 80% of Celtic’s home matches have featured three or more goals this season
- Celtic have scored 47 times at this venue and have conceded on just nine occasions.
- The hosts are averaging 20.8 shots per game at home. They managed 17 when these two sides met in September.
- 22% of Celtic’s goals this season have been scored in the final 10 minutes.
- A third of Celtic’s home matches have contained exactly four goals.
- Rangers away games have averaged 3.53 goals per game so far this season
- 30% of the goals that Rangers have conceded this season have come in the first ten minutes
- Kyogo Furuhashi has scored 20 times this season, double the number of any of his team-mates.
- James Tavernier has scored 13 times and claimed six assists so far this season.
Match Prediction
Celtic have dominated this fixture and they have been absolutely imperious at home. Rangers have enjoyed a hugely positive 2023 yet they simply cannot afford to settle for a point here. They need to attack their hosts and that could open up gaps in their defence. We should see an entertaining match and yet another victory for Celtic.
Winning Combo
Celtic Win and Over 2.5 Goals
Odds – 6/4 with Bet365
Best Bookmaker
We recommend using Bet365 to bet on this weekend’s Scottish Premiership fixtures. Their Bet Builder allows you to combine multiple selections into one single bet. You can also take advantage of Bet Boosts each and every day.
