Rangers travel to the home of their bitter rivals Celtic on Sunday after a thrilling victory on penalties over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League. Here’s a few things to look out for ahead of this Scottish Premiership fixture as Celtic close in on the title with Barry Ferguson’s men trailing by a massive sixteen points.
Return of Away Supporters Gives Fixture A Boost
I was born and bred in Glasgow and this fixture gave me some of the biggest highs and most extreme lows of my career. I’m glad to say in every game I took part in, whether it was at Celtic Park, Ibrox or Hampden, a sizeable away support was the norm. Thankfully, for the first time since 2023, away fans will be allowed entry into the stadium for this one.
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Around 2,500 Rangers fans will be inside the stadium to generate the noise, contrast of colour and rivalry that exists in the city. Granted, there has been an ugly side to the fixture for decades with the offensive singing that always takes place, but I can guarantee that every player would choose to have rival fans inside the ground. Big players thrive on the animosity and as Scotland’s showpiece occasion, it reflects badly on both clubs that no agreement could be reached for two years to satisfy the life and soul of the game, the fans.
Rangers On a High After Europa League Success
It’s a huge credit to Ferguson that he managed to get through such a difficult Europa League tie against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. The ecstasy of winning in a penalty shoot-out was evident in the immediate aftermath of the game but their focus must now return to the game on Sunday.
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How much energy was used by the players in going hard at it for ninety minutes before a gruelling thirty minutes of extra time? Can they recover sufficiently for another enormous effort to get the better of Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic? Winning away from home in Europe is no mean feat but can the manager really trust his players at Celtic Park in what is the most daunting fixture of the season?
Inconsistency Of Rangers Hugely Evident
The gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership is a massive sixteen points in Celtic’s favour. But no one should be surprised at how often Rangers fall surprisingly flat yet can raise their game on other occasions. Before he was sacked, Philippe Clement put together a squad who excelled on the European stage but consistently stuttered and stumbled on the domestic front. Clement’s Rangers won away from home in Malmo, won convincingly in Nice and earned draws against Olympiacos and Tottenham Hotspur.
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He finally managed to get his side to beat the Bhoys in the January league fixture. In stark contrast, however, they have now lost four home games on the spin, including an embarrassing loss to Championship side Queens Park in the Scottish Cup. Since taking over, Ferguson has seen his side win at Kilmarnock after going two goals behind, win in Istanbul against Fenerbahce and yet lose at home to both St Mirren and Motherwell. It’s baffling.
Celtic Out for Revenge
Rodgers and his players have given their supporters plenty of good memories over the last few months. The first domestic trophy of the season was won on a penalty shoot-out at Hampden in December’s League Cup final defeat of Rangers. No matter the outcome in this game, it’s only a matter of time before the title is secured yet again with the prospect of yet another treble on the cards. Celtic will play St Johnstone at Hampden next month for a place in the Scottish Cup Final against either Hearts or Aberdeen.
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Add the excellent European campaign that culminated in a narrow defeat to Bayern Munich, and it’s been an exciting debut season for Rodgers in his second spell at the club. But make no mistake, the defeat to Rangers at Ibrox in January was a sore one for the manager, his players and their fans. He won’t say it publicly, but revenge will be a motivation. While Rangers have exerted so much energy in reaching the last eight of the Europa League, Celtic’s preparation has been perfect. A free week on the training ground should see them in perfect physical shape for this extraordinary fixture.
