Rangers vs Celtic: Epic Old Firm Showdown Unveiled at Celtic Park - A Battle for the Ages!

Rangers and Celtic are separated by just one point in the Scottish Premiership. Therefore, the upcoming Old Firm clash on Saturday holds significant importance in determining the outcome. Michael Beale's team, aware that a loss would harm their chances of winning the title, understands the gravity of the situation despite it being early in the season.

The fans will be demanding a performance after their midweek Champions League play-off disappointment away to PSV Eindhoven.

Rangers

Celtic

Sunday 3rd September 11:00am

Kick off 12:00pm

Celtic has experienced a series of setbacks recently, including an early elimination from the Viaplay Cup and a goalless draw against St Johnstone. During Brendan Rodgers' previous tenure, the team only suffered one defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

WhoScored.com picked out four potential key head-to-heads that could well determine who has bragging rights this weekend.

Jack Butland vs Joe Hart

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Jack Butland's arrival at Rangers in the summer marked the beginning of a challenging quest to fill the void left by Allan McGregor. Nonetheless, one could make the case that Jack Butland has emerged as the most remarkable addition among Michael Beale's summer signings thus far.

Kilmarnock's opening day victory stands as the sole league goal that the former English goalkeeper has allowed this season. The keeper, along with the steadfast defense preceding him, promptly responded with clean sheets against Livingston at Ibrox and Ross County in Dingwall.

Nevertheless, one could anticipate that the former Birmingham, Stoke, and Crystal Palace shot-stopper won't experience a tranquil Sunday afternoon.

Only the 30-year-old in the Scottish Premiership, apart from St Johnstone's Dimitar Mitov (7.78) and Will Dennis of Kilmarnock (7.30), has been rated higher this season. This could be attributed to the fact that both Mitov and Dennis have been involved in more active play as goalkeepers.

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Joe Hart is in the last year of his deal at Celtic

Joe Hart, despite facing criticism from Celtic fans, proved to be the top goalkeeper in the Scottish Premiership last season with the highest number of clean sheets (16). This accomplishment surpassed the clean sheet records of Kelle Roos from Aberdeen (13) and David Marshall from Hibernian (11).

Although there might be a slight decline in his performance over time, the 36-year-old English goalkeeper came to Glasgow with an esteemed reputation. His invaluable experience includes competing in notable derbies like Birmingham, Manchester, London, and Turin, as well as engaging in international showdowns.

The result of the draw with St Johnstone was devastating for Celtic. However, the goalkeeper came to their rescue by making two crucial saves in the last 20 minutes of the game. If Celtic wants to secure a point or even all three, the goalkeeper will have to demonstrate the same exceptional skills in this upcoming match against James Tavernier and Alistair Johnston.

Despite the doubts surrounding James Tavernier's defensive skills, his offensive performance cannot be overlooked. The right-back outshined his fellow teammates Antonio Colak and Fashion Sakala, who recently left the team, by scoring 16 goals in the league last season, making him the top goalscorer for the Gers.

The skipper delivered an impressive first goal of the season in the league last weekend and has played a crucial role in achieving two consecutive clean sheets following the disappointing Kilmarnock game.

Although he hasn't recorded an assist in the current league campaign, his nine assists last season surpassed those of notable players such as Ryan Kent (8), Fashion Sakala (8), and Malik Tillman (4), who are usually involved in such plays.

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Alistair Johnston's absence due to injury in the previous season led to the Hoops' first clean sheet of the current season upon his return. Apart from his defensive assistance, the right-back will also be confident in his ability to make offensive contributions.

Celtic fans have quickly adapted to life without Josip Juranovic after the 24-year-old left Montreal for Glasgow in January. Following his impressive displays for Canada at the World Cup in Qatar, he made his debut for Celtic in the thrilling 2-2 draw at Ibrox.

In the St Johnstone match, Todd Cantwell excelled by generating the highest number of opportunities for his team-mates (3). He showcased his impeccable skills by successfully delivering all four through balls (4/4) and executing a triumphant dribble. Furthermore, Cantwell demonstrated his exceptional passing abilities, boasting an impressive pass accuracy rate of 86 percent (44/51).

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Todd Cantwell joined Rangers in January and has made the most of his time with the club since leaving Norwich City. Having scored the opening goal in the last season's final Old Firm, Cantwell had an impressive debut season at Ibrox.

The attacking midfielder in the Scottish Premiership last season had a rating higher than everyone except James Tavernier, who scored 7.64. With ten goal contributions in 15 appearances (six goals and four assists), his move in January seemed like the right decision.

Although the 25-year-old has not performed at the same level this season, he was unexpectedly not included in the starting lineup at Rugby Park. However, he has now regained his position as one of the first choices for Rangers and is eager to contribute with a goal or assist in the upcoming weekend.

Sitting on the sidelines for most of last season, Matt O'Riley observed Reo Hatate and Aaron Mooy usually accompanying club captain Callum McGregor. However, with Hatate falling out of favor and Mooy retiring, O'Riley, a former midfielder from MK Dons, is seizing the opportunity.

Having already contributed to three goals in three matches at the beginning of the campaign, the 22-year-old Danish player, who was born in England, aims to secure a place in Celtic's starting lineup. Among Scottish Premiership players, no one else averages more shots per game (4) than this talented product of the Fulham academy.

After netting goals in the first two league games for the Celts, he went on to assist his fellow midfielder David Turnbull in scoring his second goal during their season opener against Ross County. Now, he aims to actively contribute to the offensive moves of the Hoops once again.

Cyriel Dessers vs Kyogo Furuhashi

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Cyriel Dessers, one of Michael Beale's summer recruits, has had a somewhat inconsistent beginning in Govan. Out of his eight games, he managed to score two goals, both against Servette in the Champions League qualifying and Championship side Greenock Morton, but one came from a penalty.

Despite Alfredo Morelos' impressive record of scoring goals, fans of both Rangers and Celtic cannot overlook the fact that it took him 15 matches to finally end his goal-drought in this specific match. The 28-year-old Nigerian, determined not to repeat such a lengthy wait, eagerly awaits Scotland's highly anticipated showdown. As a former player for Cremonese, Genk, and Feyenoord, he has the potential to quickly win over the massive crowd at Ibrox by scoring his first league goal against Rangers' fierce adversaries.

After failing to score in his first game against Rangers, Kyogo Furuhashi managed to score five goals against them last season. Although he hasn't scored in the last two derbies, he did score two goals in both the Hampden and Parkhead matches during the League Cup final and the previous league encounter at Celtic Park.

With a total of 27 goals in the Scottish Premiership last season, securing the golden boot award, the 28-year-old also found the net in Celtic's first two league games this season, one at home against Ross County and the other away against Aberdeen.

Having failed to find the net in consecutive games since, Celtic will hope their main marksman has found his shooting boots ahead of this one.

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