Celtic vs Rangers: Why does the Old Firm clash matter with the Scottish Premiership title race all but over?

The Scottish Premiership title race may be all but over. However, make no mistake, the 445th Old Firm meeting between Celtic and Rangers matters.

The two clubs meet on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, with Brendan Rodgers’ side 16 points clear of their rivals, and potentially three games away from being crowned champions again.

Sunday 16th March 11:30am


Kick off 12:30pm

Celtic won the first meeting 3-0 at Parkhead, before Rangers got revenge at Ibrox in January as they claimed victory by the same scoreline. In between there was a League Cup final triumph for the Hoops as they chase a domestic treble.

Despite the lay of the land in the title race, for anyone thinking there isn’t much to play for this time around – that could not be further from the truth and here is why…

Bragging rights as away fans return

Sunday will see away fans return to this fixture for the first time since January 2023, with around 2,400 Rangers supporters expected at Celtic Park.

A deal had been brokered by the Scottish Professional Football League around 12 months ago but the lockout of visiting supporters unexpectedly continued into the first two meetings this season.

Further talks have seen an agreement put in place where four per cent of tickets will be distributed to visiting fans going forward – with around 2,000 Celtic supporters expected at Ibrox in April too.

The dispute over allocations started in 2018 when Rangers cut Celtic’s share of tickets from 7,500 to around 750 due to an increase in season ticket sales. The Parkhead club followed suit – offering a similar reduced share in the games that followed at their ground.

It resulted in safety concerns being raised by the pair, which led to tickets not being offered or taken up by the clubs. However, that issue has been resolved and the atmosphere at these special games will be cranked up a notch.

Bragging rights are always at stake when it comes to the Old Firm and celebrations can last for days – but will it be the home or away end enjoying themselves on Sunday?

Treble-chasing Celtic close in on the title

When Rangers won the league in 2021 under Steven Gerrard, the Ibrox club celebrated a historic 55th top-flight title.

However, Celtic have dominated top spot since and are set to draw level with Rangers’ tally of 55 for the first time since 1929.

A winning culture is something Rodgers has demanded since returning to the club. After clinching the league and the Scottish Cup last season – the Celtic boss said he wanted a clean sweep of domestic honours this time around.

So far, his team are on course to deliver just that. With the League Cup in the bag, Scottish Cup semi-final spot secured and the Scottish Premiership title just three wins away, things are looking good.

Goals, goals, goals!

Let’s hope this doesn’t jinx things! These matches are full of passion and recently there have been plenty of fast starts.

Seven of the last 13 Premiership meetings have seen the opening goal scored within the first 10 minutes.

Coming into this one, there are also a host of players with 10 or more league goals to their name and chasing the golden boot.

Dundee United’s Sam Dalby tops the scoring charts with 13 goals, but he’s closely followed by Celtic’s Daizen Maeda who is just one behind, while Rangers duo Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny both are one further back.

Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn also has 10 goals so far, one more than team-mate Arne Engels and Rangers’ Hamza Igamane.

The form book suggests Maeda and Dessers would be most likely to find the target. Japan international Maeda is in the form of his life, with a career-high 27 goals this season. His tally of 12 Premiership goals is already double what he achieved last time out and a goal on derby day would see him score in five successive games for the first time in his Celtic career.

While Maeda has 14 goals in all competitions this calendar year, Dessers is close behind with 10. His tally of 22 this season has doubled the amount he’s scored in his time at Ibrox – with only Shota Arveladze, Alfredo Morelos and Kris Boyd having scored more than 44 in their first 98 appearances for the club.

Ferguson’s first Old Firm as Gers boss

Former Ibrox captain Barry Ferguson played in this fixture 39 times, and Sunday will be his first taste of it from the dugout.

Rangers’ last eight managers to face Celtic have all failed to beat the Hoops in their first meeting across all competitions. However, make no mistake, Ferguson will believe his team can get a result in Glasgow’s East End.

His side will face a man in Rodgers who has taken charge of Celtic 21 times in this fixture across all competitions – winning 16, earning him the best win ratio of any manager in Old Firm history.

Celtic to make Parkhead history?

The Hoops have won their last five league meetings against Rangers at home, and should they do the same again on Sunday, it will be the first time they’ve managed six in a row over their rivals.

Can they do it? Well the stats books suggest there is every chance.

Celtic’s form at home in the Premiership is almost flawless – having lost just one of their last 77 games. Their last 20 matches have produced 19 victories and one draw.

Rodgers is yet to taste defeat in his last eight home games against Rangers, winning the last five.

Parkhead has become paradise for Celtic. They’re unbeaten at home domestically this season and should they win again – Rodgers’ name will go down in the history books.

Watch Celtic vs Rangers live on Sky Sports Football from 11.30am, with kick-off at 12.30pm, and follow our live blog with updates, analysis and in-game action here.