The day is upon us. Celtic travel to Ibrox today to take on Rangers in the biggest match of the Scottish Premiership season so far.
The Bhoys know defeat would represent a bitter blow to their title race bid. However, they will have self-confidence heading into the match having already defeated Rangers twice this term.
Brendan Rodgers has been boosted by the return to training of Luis Palma and Callum McGregor after injury layoffs, giving him a clean bill of health for one of the first times this season.
Getting the team selection and tactics correct is so important in this fixture. Throughout Rodgers’ career, he has managed to get the better of Rangers the vast majority of the time.
What eleven will he go for in this one? Here’s our best go at the derby team, based on the available information.
Potential Celtic team against Rangers
Joe Hart is a certainty to feature in goal as he aims to finish his playing career on a high before retirement this summer. It could be a busier afternoon for him than normal so we need to see him at his shot-stopping best.
Greg Taylor and Alistair Johnston are both available to take care of business on the flanks. They have key threats to counter in the wide areas and will be critical in linking the play on the counter-attack to exploit the home side.
The central defensive pairing looks set to be Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales. Maik Nawrocki is available again after injury but Rodgers will go with the duo he trusts most and who have played the most football this season.
Midfield is where the biggest call will be made. Rodgers indicated in his pre-match media conference that Callum McGregor could get by at 80%. However, he also stated that the player is actually weeks ahead of schedule in terms of when someone would usually heal from his injury and that a final call had yet to be made on whether he will start or feature as a substitute.
For me, it’s too much of a risk to start a fixture of this magnitude carrying an issue when Tomoki Iwata could do a good job as that midfield anchor, supporting Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley.
I reckon McGregor will be in the match squad but is more likely to be used as a second-half substitute.
Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda give Celtic the best chance of success in the wide areas. Kuhn has improved in recent weeks while Maeda could be key in helping to tie up Rangers’ James Tavernier, who many regard to have been their best player this season.
Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang will be on hand to freshen things up as substitutes as the game progresses.
The performance will all be in service of supplying Kyogo Furuhashi, who showed in 2023 that he was the king of this fixture. If Celtic can fashion a chance or two for the Japanese star, he has the quality to punish the home side and silence Ibrox just like in September.
Your Predicted XI in full is: Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, Iwata, Hatate, O’Riley, Kuhn, Maeda, Kyogo.