Rangers v Celtic Scottish League Cup Final Preview

Check out our Rangers v Celtic Scottish League Cup Final preview as we are in for a treat with an Old Firm cup final this Sunday afternoon.

Game Details

Matchup: Rangers v Celtic

Venue: Hampden Park

What Channel? Viaplay (Sky channel 412)

Match Betting Odds

The Form - Rangers v Celtic

Rangers Form

Rangers have been in imperious form over the last few months. They have not lost a game since returning to club action after the World Cup break with 14 wins and one draw since then. That one draw of course came against Sunday’s opposition and fierce rivals Celtic in a match that ended 2-2 thanks to a late Celtic goal from Furuhashi.

Not only have Rangers been winning games but they have been winning these games comfortably too. Their average winning margin over their last five games is 2.0 goals per game. In this competition Rangers have won three games to book their spot in Sunday’s final. The semi-final was a tight affair which they needed extra-time to prevail 2-1 over Aberdeen.

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Celtic’s Form

Celtic have been just as impressive as Rangers in terms of form since the World Cup break as they also haven’t lost a game since then. The Bhoys have been crushing opponents in recent games with an average winning margin in their most recent five games of 3.2 goals including a 4-0 win against Aberdeen last time out.

Celtic won this competition last year and will be bidding for repeat success on Sunday in what will be the first step in their quest for a treble this season. On their path to this final they have beaten Ross County, Motherwell and Kilmarnock with all those wins coming by two or more goals.

How The Two Teams Match Up - Rangers v Celtic

Rangers’ Attack

It’s hard to really pick too many flaws in this Rangers attack given the way that they have been playing in recent months and the sheer amount of goals that they have been scoring. Over their last five games this attack is averaging 2.6 goals per game.

Tavernier and Colak have been the team’s leading goal scorers in this current season as both have 11 goals to their name across all competitions. On Sunday it could be striker Alfredo Morelos leading the line for the team and the Colombian has also been racking up his goal tally with 9 goals this season.

The last time these two teams played Rangers managed a total of 15 shot attempts with five of those on target despite only possessing the ball 39% of the time.

Celtic’s Defence

Celtic have been impressive in defence of late. From their last five games they have managed a clean sheet in three of those. In fact, they have only conceded two goals in those five most recent games which is an astonishing record to boast.

In goal Joe Hart should get the nod to start and there’s a good chance that the defensive pairing of Carter-Vickers and Starfelt will play in front of him as the two centre backs. As mentioned earlier, Rangers were allowed to take 15 shots on Celtic’s goal in the last Old Firm derby between these two. If they allow a similar amount on Sunday they will struggle to win this final.

Celtic’s Attack

Celtic have been lethal in their attacking play of late. They have now accumulated 18 goals in their last five games in all competitions. With that being said they struggled in this fixture in the most recent meeting between these two teams. Although they got a 2-2 draw they were only able to manage two shots on target in the entire ninety minutes of play.

Kyogo Furuhashi has been the team’s top scorer this season with a whopping 20 goals to his name across all competitions. Furuhashi will be expected to lead the line this Sunday against Rangers and he will likely be joined in the attack by Maeda and Jota.

Rangers’ Defence

There aren’t too many weaknesses to pick out in this Rangers defence. They have been defensively solid in recent games with only three goals conceded from their last five games played. In three of those five games they have managed a clean sheet.

We can expect to see McGregor start in goal for Rangers in this League Cup Final. Tavernier, who has been racking up the goals and assists this season, will start at fullback and we could see a centre back pairing of Goldson and Davies in front of McGregor. Rangers will be disappointed to have conceded two goals from only two shots on target in the last Old Firm but if they only allow two shots on target in this game then they will likely end up on the winning side.

The other big game this Sunday is Man United v Newcastle in the EFL Cup Final which sees two of the most in form sides in English football go head-to-head.