The Old Firm derby will take place this Sunday as the title race continues to heat up in the Scottish Premiership, with only three points separating the two.

There are just seven matches remaining this season, making this a crucial fixture for both clubs in their bid to finish the season as champions.

Match preview

Rangers' Scott Arfield celebrates after the match with teammates on March 17, 2022 © Reuters

Rangers are in fine form right now in the Scottish Premiership, heading into this match on a seven-game unbeaten streak which has kept them in the title race.

However, the Gers will be aware that their last loss in the league came at the hands of Celtic when they were comfortably defeated 3-0, with all the goals coming in the first 45 minutes.

The squad will be hoping to gain some revenge for that defeat, but they were able to take three points from the Hoops at the start of the season when Filip Helander's goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men left it late to defeat Dundee in the final match before the international break, coming from behind to win 2-1 with Aaron Ramsey and Connor Goldson getting on the scoresheet.

The Gers are also undefeated at Ibrox Stadium this season in the league, only dropping points four times via draws, which is a run that they will be aiming to continue this weekend.

Celtic's Callum McGregor celebrates scoring their first goal with Reo Hatate and Georgios Giakoumakis on March 14, 2022 © Reuters

The strong home performances of Rangers will face a stern test though as Celtic head into this fixture with the best away record in the division this season.

The Hoops are currently top of the league, which is something they will not be wanting to give up this Sunday, and the squad have the chance to create a six-point gap between themselves and their rivals.

Ange Postecoglou's team have been defensively sound as of late, keeping four clean sheets across their previous six matches, which is a run that Joe Hart will want to extend.

However, Celtic have also looked good with the attacking side of their game as well, scoring 12 goals in their four most recent outings.

Giorgos Giakoumakis has been particularly impressive as of late, scoring five times in the two matches before the international break, which is the type of form he will want to take into this encounter.

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

Rangers form (all competitions):

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:

Celtic form (all competitions):

Team News

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the match on March 17, 2022 © Reuters

Rangers were dealt a major blow during the international break as Alfredo Morelos was sent back to Glasgow over fitness concerns, and he has since been ruled out of this contest.

Ramsey is also a concern due to a lack of game time, despite the fact he got on the scoresheet during their most recent outing, but the Gers have plenty of other options across the squad.

Kyogo Furuhashi has been out of action since December for the Hoops, but he has been training recently and might be an option on Sunday, but that will likely be from the bench.

Considering his recent form, Giakoumakis should be set to lead the line for Celtic, while Tom Rogic is also a fitness concern for the visitors ahead of this one.

Daizen Maeda pulled out of international duty, and that break should have done him some good in terms of getting back to full sharpness.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Bassey, Helander, Goldson, Tavernier; Lundstram, Jack; Aribo, Kamara, Kent; Roofe

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; Hatate, McGregor, Bitton; Jota, Maeda, Giakoumakis

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We say: Rangers 2-1 Celtic

There is very little to separate these two teams, both in terms of form and their league position, and with so much on the line this should be a close match.

However, in front of their own fans, and with the desire to gain revenge for what happened the last time they faced Celtic, it could be Rangers that just edges this one.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rangers win with a probability of 42.9%. A win for Celtic had a probability of 32.2% and a draw had a probability of 24.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9%) and 2-0 (6.93%). The likeliest Celtic win was 0-1 (7.62%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.71%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.6% likelihood.