Celtic vs Rangers Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

Another piece of silverware is on the line for Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers as they face off in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.

Date: 5/25/24

Kick-off time: 7:00 am Pacific Time

Venue: Hampden Park

Not long after securing the Scottish Premiership at Rangers’ expense, Celtic have an opportunity to lift another trophy by beating their rivals. Brendan Rodgers’ side won their third title in a row with a game to spare, sealed a week prior by beating Rangers at Celtic Park. They now look to add to their record 41 Scottish Cup victories and make it a second in a row. Rodgers has an excellent record as a manager at Hampden Park, winning all 10 games his side has played there.

Rangers will hope to put the disappointment of their end to the season behind them with a 35th Scottish Cup win. They last won the tournament in 2022, which was their first triumph in 15 years. To get to the final, they were 2-0 winners against Hearts, with Cyriel Dessers scoring a goal in each half. Celtic reached the final after a penalty shootout win against Aberdeen, following a 3-3 draw.

Both sides have dangerous attacking threats. In all competitions, Matt O’Riley has scored 18 goals and provided 16 assists as he picked up the club’s player of the season award. Kyogo Furuhashi is also a significant contributor, with 16 goals. With 20 goals, Rangers captain James Tavernier tops the charts, as the club’s penalty taker. Dessers has enjoyed some great form as of late, taking his tally up to 18 goals on the season.

This season, Rangers have struggled against their rivals. In four meetings, they have yet to win, and have lost three times. The first matchup of the season ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat at Ibrox, in which Furuhashi scored the only goal of the game. Celtic then won 2-1 in the next game with Paulo Bernardo and Furuhashi on the scoresheet. Tavernier scored for the visitors. The only draw came in a thrilling 3-3, as Celtic squandered the lead twice, before Rabbi Matondo netted a 93rd minute equaliser. The latest fixture was another 2-1 for Celtic as they took a huge step towards the title.

Celtic Team News

Adam Montgomery is the only absentee for Celtic. Daizen Maeda was rested on the final day following his lengthy injury layoff, but is expected to start this game.

Rangers Team News

Rabbi Matondo could make a return, as could Leon Balogun. Connor Goldson is out for the season. Danilo Pereira has a knee injury.

Celtic form Guide

In their last five games, Celtic have won all of them. It has been a dominant stretch for Celtic, as they secured another Scottish Premier League title. This run started with a 2-1 away win at Dundee. It was a fairly even game in terms of shot attempts, but the visitors were much superior in possession. They took advantage of this with a brace from James Forrest to put them 2-0 up, before Antonio Portales halved the deficit.

Hearts were the next visitors to Celtic Park, and they were beaten 3-0 in a much more comfortable win. Kyogo Furuhashi scored a first-half brace, including one after just four minutes, and Matt O-Riley added a third late on from the spot. They then took on arch rivals Rangers in the Old Firm, which was a title decider. The match ended 2-1 in Celtic’s favour. They scored two goals in three minutes with a strike from O’Riley and an own goal by John Lundstram. Cyriel Dessers quickly pulled one back, but Lundstram saw red just before the break. Neither side were able to add to the scoreline in the second half.

Celtic were officially named champions after a convincing 5-0 win away at Kilmarnock. Adam Idah scored early, before goals from Daizen Maeda, Forrest and a brace from O’Riley completed the rout. Their final game of the league season was at home to St Mirren, in which they 3-2 winners before lifting the trophy in front of their fans. They had to come from behind twice, but goals from O’Riley, Furuhashi and a late winner by Luis Palma ensured three points.

Rangers Form Guide

In their last five games, Rangers have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a decent stretch for the club, but they lost ground in the title race with dropped points, and ultimately missed out. However, this run began with a victory away at St Mirren. They went ahead through a James Bolton own goal, but this was cancelled out shortly after by Mikael Mandron. The winner came with 16 minutes to go, with Cyriel Dessers finding the back of the net.

A 4-1 win at home to Kilmarnock made it two wins in a row. The visitors went ahead after a James Tavernier own goal, but were reduced to 10 men soon after when Joe Wright saw red. However, Tavernier missed the resulting penalty. His side were able to get back on level terms deep into stoppage time with a goal from Fabio Silva. The extra man was a huge advantage, as strikes from Ben Davies, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar ensured a win.

They then travelled to face their arch rivals Celtic in the Old Firm Derby. It was a crucial fixture in the race for top spot, and it ended 2-1 in Celtic’s favour. They scored two goals in three minutes with a strike from Matt O’Riley and an own goal by John Lundstram. Dessers quickly pulled one back, but Lundstram saw red just before the break. This is how the game ended. Though the title was all but gone, they returned to winning ways with a 5-2 win at home to Dundee. They were 2-0 down at the break, but five second half goals from Ross McCausland, Dessers, Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright (x2) turned it around emphatically. Their last game was a trip to Hearts, in which they drew 3-3 in the final fixture of the campaign. Rangers went behind in the first half but turned it around with goals from McCausland and Cantwell. Fabio Silva added a third, but the visitors fell apart late, conceding twice to drop points.

It has already been a successful season for Celtic following their league title win at the expense of their upcoming opponents. We expect that to continue with another victory and trophy against their Old Firm rivals. Rangers will play a very close game once more, but Celtic should just edge it – Celtic 2-1 Rangers

Celtic vs Rangers will be available to watch on ESPN.