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Will Celtic’s possession edge or Rangers’ moments of individual quality decide the first Old Firm of 2026? Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
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Boreham Wood's relentless scoring record of 2.14 goals per game and strong home form make them a serious threat. Burton's defensive weaknesses, particularly against set pieces and counters, could be their downfall at Meadow Park.
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This scoreline reflects Boreham Wood's habit of scoring twice at home while acknowledging that Burton's shot volume often leads to at least one goal despite their finishing struggles.
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Celtic vs Rangers Predictions and Best Bets
Celtic vs Rangers — bet365 Market Snapshot
Market data and pricing shown below for the first Old Firm derby of 2026.
Celtic’s home record makes them favourites, while Rangers’ back-to-back wins keep the market competitive.
Recent head-to-heads show 1–1 is a frequent result between these Glasgow rivals.
Offensive strengths and defensive weaknesses suggest goals are likely at both ends.
- Possession and control theme: Celtic average 69.8% possession with 88.3% pass accuracy in the Premiership, while Rangers average 61.1% possession and 85.2% pass accuracy.
- Shot volume points to a busy derby: Celtic take 16.9 league shots per game and Rangers 15.7, with both sides getting most attempts inside the box (Celtic 69%, Rangers 67%).
- Tight table and draw-heavy recent meetings: Celtic are 2nd on 38 points (19 games) and Rangers 3rd on 35, and four of the last six head-to-heads ended level.
Tactical Control: Average Possession
Both sides prioritize short-passing football, with Celtic maintaining the highest share of the ball in the league.
Celtic dominate territory, keeping the ball for long spells to pin opponents back.
Rangers also favor a possession-based approach but allow slightly more transition opportunities.
Shot Accuracy: Proximity to Goal
Both teams focus heavily on working the ball into high-probability areas inside the penalty area.
Through-balls and wing play ensure the majority of Celtic’s attempts come from dangerous zones.
Individual skill and set-piece strength help Rangers generate significant volume near the goal.
The Scottish Premiership doesn’t so much ease itself into the New Year as kick the door off its hinges. The first Old Firm derby of 2026 lands at Celtic Park on Saturday, with both sides arriving with something to prove and plenty at stake in the shape of a tight-looking top end of the table.
Celtic come into it needing a response after a disappointing 2-0 loss away to Motherwell on 30 December. It was a sharp jolt after a festive spell that also included wins over Aberdeen and Livingston, but that latest setback changes the mood: this is suddenly about control, authority, and making sure a wobble doesn’t turn into a habit.
Rangers, meanwhile, ended the year with successive victories, beating Motherwell 1-0 and St. Mirren 2-1 at Ibrox. It’s not a flawless recent run overall — Hearts and Ferencvaros both beat them in December — but the closing notes of 2025 were upbeat, and that matters in a fixture where emotion can be either rocket fuel or a straight red waiting to happen.
Add in the league positions — Celtic 2nd on 38 points and Rangers 3rd on 35 — and you’ve got the kind of afternoon that doesn’t need any extra garnish. It’s Glasgow, it’s Celtic Park, it’s an Old Firm derby, and it’s the first weekend of a new year. The only question is whose idea of the game gets to breathe first.
Team News and Likely Set-Ups
Celtic’s possible starting XI suggests a back three: Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Tierney; Hyun-Jun, Engels, McGregor, McCowan; Nygren, Maeda; Kenny.
Even before you get into individuals, that structure hints at intent. Three centre-backs (or at least three defenders across the first line) can give Celtic a stable base to build from and push numbers into the wide areas — which fits a side rated very strong for attacking down the wings and noted for attacking down the left. With Hyun-Jun and McCowan listed as part of the midfield band, the implication is that Celtic can create width high up the pitch without completely exposing the back door.
Rangers’ possible starting XI looks more like a back four: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Fernandez, Meghoma; Aasgaard, Raskin, Diomande; Gassama, Y. Chermiti, Moore.
That shape gives Rangers a clear midfield trio and a front line that can flex. Raskin sits naturally as a midfield organiser, while Tavernier is a familiar source of thrust from the right side — and not just in open play, given he’s Rangers’ top Premiership goalscorer with four and has three assists as well. Rangers are also rated very strong for creating chances through individual skill and strong for attacking set pieces, so the players around the ball will matter as much as the positions on the teamsheet.
In balance terms, Celtic’s likely set-up reads like an attempt to dominate territory and supply Nygren, Maeda and Kenny with a steady stream of entries into the final third. Rangers’ reads as a team capable of playing with the ball — they’re also described as a short-passing, possession side — but with obvious outlets for moments when the derby becomes frantic and the midfield turns into a pinball machine.
How the Match Could Be Played
Celtic’s style points towards a very particular kind of control: possession football, short passes, playing in the opposition’s half, and attempting through balls often. That’s not “keep it for keeping it’s sake”; it’s a way of pinning Rangers in, moving them side to side, then slipping runners beyond the line. Celtic’s very strong wing play also suggests an appetite for stretching the pitch, which becomes even more intriguing if they really do start with a back three — because that can free Tierney and Ralston (or the wider midfielders ahead of them) to push high without leaving the centre totally bare.
Rangers aren’t exactly arriving as a side that wants to hide, though. Their own style is also built on short passes and controlling the game in the opposition’s half, with an emphasis on attacking through the middle. That makes the central zones feel like the first major battleground: can Rangers get Raskin, Diomande and Aasgaard on the ball often enough to play through Celtic’s first press, or will McGregor and company turn the middle into a trap door?
There’s a delicious tactical push-and-pull in the risk profiles too. Celtic’s listed weakness is “stopping opponents from creating chances” and it’s marked very weak. Rangers have “creating chances through individual skill” marked very strong. Put those together and you can see why this might not be a polite, sterile derby where everyone keeps their shape and waits for the perfect moment. If Rangers can isolate Celtic defenders in uncomfortable areas — particularly around the edge of the box where a quick shift and a sharp touch can open a lane — the away side have a clear route to making the game feel edgy.
At the other end, Celtic are tagged as strong at finishing scoring chances. That’s the kind of trait that turns long spells of pressure into goals rather than groans, and it matters against a Rangers side that carries weaknesses in defending set pieces, aerial duels, and defending counter attacks. If Celtic’s possession pins Rangers’ wing-backs/full-backs deep, the second balls around the box become huge: win them, recycle, go again; lose them, and suddenly Rangers are running into grass.
Transitions could be the match’s real accelerant. Celtic are described as non-aggressive, which doesn’t mean passive, but it does hint at a team that prefers structure and control over constant chaotic duels. Rangers, however, are rated strong for stealing the ball from the opposition. That’s a pressing cue right there: if Rangers can nick it in midfield rather than simply win it back in their own third, they can attack while Celtic are spread out in possession — and against a team listed as very weak at stopping opponents from creating chances, that’s the sort of moment that can tilt a derby quickly.
Then there are the wide lanes. Celtic’s attacking-down-the-wings strength meets Rangers’ strong wing attacking, and both sides want to spend time in the opposition half. If the game becomes a sequence of wide attacks and quick switches, the defenders who can defend the back post and the midfielders who can track runners become the unsung heroes. It’s not glamorous work. It’s the work that decides whether “promising” becomes “panic”.
Finally, keep the set pieces simmering in the background. Celtic are rated strong defending set pieces, Rangers are rated weak defending set pieces, and Rangers are rated strong attacking set pieces. In a derby, the dead ball is never dead. It’s a live-wire moment where organisation, bravery and timing matter more than pretty patterns.
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The Numbers That Support the Story
The table gives the competitive frame: Celtic are 2nd with 38 points from 19 games, while Rangers are 3rd with 35 points from 19 games. That closeness matters because it suggests this isn’t just about pride; it’s also about who keeps touch with the pace at the top.
Celtic’s league output shows a side that generates volume and control. They’ve scored 33 Premiership goals in 19 games, and average 69.8% possession with 88.3% pass accuracy. Those numbers describe a team that spends long spells with the ball, moves it cleanly, and asks opponents to do an awful lot of running without it — which neatly matches the “control the game in the opposition’s half” and “short passes” profile.
Rangers aren’t far off stylistically, but the margins are telling. They’ve scored 27 Premiership goals in 19 games, averaging 61.1% possession with 85.2% pass accuracy. That’s still a lot of the ball and a lot of completed passes, yet it also hints that Celtic are more extreme in their control. In a derby, those few percentage points can translate into territory — and territory can translate into set pieces, pressure, and the kind of nervous clearances that invite the next wave.
Shot numbers reinforce that this may not be a low-event slog. Celtic average 16.9 shots per game in the Premiership, Rangers 15.7. But the more interesting detail is where the shots come from. Celtic’s shot map split is listed as 69% inside the box and 31% outside, while Rangers sit at 67% inside and 33% outside. That suggests both sides get plenty of attempts from dangerous areas, with Celtic ever so slightly more box-focused — a small but meaningful nod to their through-ball tendencies and wing pressure.
Individual contributions also help explain how each side might try to land punches. For Celtic, Nygren has 8 league goals, Maeda has 6, and Kenny has 4 — and that trio is exactly the trio listed as starting in the attacking line. If Celtic can get service into their forwards early and often, the finishing-strength label has a credible platform. For Rangers, Tavernier leads the league scoring chart within the squad with 4 goals and has 3 assists, while Fernandez has 3 goals from defence. That’s a reminder that Rangers can hurt teams from multiple angles — including moments when the ball is dead and the delivery is everything.
And in case anyone needs reminding that this fixture loves a stalemate, the recent head-to-head run shows four draws in the last six meetings, including 1-1, 0-0, and another pair of 1-1s. Even when the tempo spikes and the noise goes through the roof, these games can still end up balanced on the thinnest edge.
Key “Moments” to Watch
The opening spell will be about who gets to breathe on the ball. Celtic’s high-possession profile and crisp pass accuracy suggest they’ll want to set the rhythm, pin Rangers back, and make the pitch feel small for the visitors. If Rangers can disrupt that early — win it, keep it, and play through the middle as their style suggests — Celtic Park might start to sound impatient rather than expectant.
Watch the wide lanes for the first real crack in the structure. Celtic are rated very strong attacking down the wings and noted for attacking down the left, while Rangers have a strong wing attack too. If either side can create a 2v1 out wide and then deliver with runners arriving, the game can flip from “controlled” to “scramble” in seconds.
Set pieces feel like a swing factor that never quite goes away. Celtic’s strength defending them meets Rangers’ strength attacking them, and Rangers’ weakness defending them meets Celtic’s ability to build pressure and win restarts in advanced areas. One well-delivered ball, one misjudged header, one second ball not cleared — that’s derby physics.
And keep an eye on the moments immediately after either side loses the ball in midfield. Rangers are rated strong at stealing the ball from the opposition, and both sides try to control the game high up the pitch. Those are the moments where a single touch can either calm everything down or send three attackers sprinting at a back line that hasn’t set itself.
What could go wrong with this read? Derbies are loud, emotional and frequently illogical. A match that looks like a possession battle can turn into a sequence of transitions if the first few challenges are spicy and the referee allows it. A team can dominate the ball and still find itself behind if it switches off at a set piece. And when the margins are this fine in the table, nerves can do funny things to passing accuracy and decision-making, no matter what the season averages say.
Best Bet for Celtic vs Rangers
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Both Teams to Score (BTTS)
The logic for both teams finding the net is rooted in a clear tactical clash between offensive efficiency and defensive instability. Celtic enter the match with a significant offensive profile, having scored 33 goals in 19 Premiership matches. They average 16.9 shots per game and are rated as strong in finishing scoring chances. This clinical edge is vital, especially considering they have scored 69% of their goals from inside the box, suggesting an ability to penetrate deep into the final third. However, this attacking prowess is offset by a glaring defensive vulnerability; they are described as very weak at stopping opponents from creating chances. Furthermore, since the recent appointment of Wilfried Nancy, the team has failed to keep a single clean sheet in seven consecutive outings.
Rangers are well-positioned to exploit these gaps. While their 27 goals in 19 games is slightly lower than their rivals, they possess a specific strength in creating chances through individual skill—a trait that directly challenges a backline struggling for cohesion. With James Tavernier providing four goals and three assists from the flank, Rangers have consistent avenues to goal. They also possess a high volume of shots, averaging 15.7 per match, with 67% coming from inside the area. While Rangers have shown some defensive resilience, they are rated as weak at defending set pieces and counter-attacks, areas where Celtic’s wing-focused play and high possession (69.8%) can force errors. Given that four of the last six meetings between these sides have ended in draws—including three results of 1-1 or higher—and the current form shows both sides regularly conceding and scoring, a high-intensity match where neither goalkeeper remains untested is the most statistically supported outcome.
What could go wrong
The primary risk to this selection is the potential for a cagey, low-risk approach often seen in high-stakes derbies. If the home side prioritizes tactical structure to break their streak of games without a clean sheet, or if the visitors focus purely on a mid-block to nullify wing play, the match could stagnate. Additionally, while the historical data shows frequent 1-1 draws, a clinical performance from one side coupled with a “park the bus” strategy after an early goal could lead to a one-sided clean sheet.
Correct score lean: 1-1 Draw
The recent history of this fixture points heavily toward a stalemate, with four of the last six head-to-head encounters ending in draws. Specifically, 1-1 has been a frequent scoreline in that run. Celtic’s high possession and home advantage suggest they will dictate play, but their inability to keep clean sheets under the current management makes it likely they will concede. Conversely, Rangers have shown they can grind out results, drawing eight times already this season—the highest in the top three. A 1-1 result reflects the statistical trend of both teams scoring while remaining balanced on the league table.
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