Rangers vs Celtic: Old Firm Clash in League Cup Quarter-Final
Rangers and Celtic collide in the first Old Firm of the season on Sunday, and the stakes are already sharp. A place in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals is on the line. So is early-season momentum. So, in truth, is a chunk of Derek McInnes’ authority at Ibrox.
Last season in Scotland crackled from start to finish, a three-way title race that gripped the Premiership. When the dust settled, Celtic stood above the rest, carrying off a Premiership and Scottish Cup double and reminding everyone who still sets the standard.
Rangers, bruised and restless, chose change. McInnes arrived from Hearts in the summer, tasked with tightening a team that had lost its way. Instead, his reign opened with a jolt: a crash out of Europe that immediately put him under the microscope and turned up the temperature in the stands.
The response has been measured but meaningful. Four league wins in a row have steadied the ship and quietened some of the noise. This, though, is different. Beating Celtic in a cup quarter-final, at Ibrox, would do more than extend a winning run. It would give McInnes a signature result and Rangers a jolt of belief that this rebuild has real teeth.
On the other side, Martin O’Neill knows exactly what this competition can do for a season. Celtic were dumped out of the League Cup last year by St Mirren under Wilfried Nancy, a shock that still stings. O’Neill’s side want that trophy back, and they will not be shy about saying so with their football.
There will be a strange edge to the occasion. After the chaos that marred the last Ibrox meeting between the clubs in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, no away fans will be allowed inside the stadium. An Old Firm played in front of one half of Glasgow only changes the sound, not the stakes.
When and where
Rangers v Celtic, Scottish League Cup quarter-final
Ibrox Stadium
Sunday 13 September, 12pm BST
The tie will be shown live on Premier Sports 1 and via the Premier Sports Player.
Team news
Rangers’ preparations have been hit hard. Captain Lawrence Shankland is out for months with a hamstring tear, a brutal blow for a side already short of firepower. Youssef Chermiti is sidelined with a hamstring problem of his own, and new signing Daisuke Yokota joins them in the treatment room with the same issue.
At left-back, Tuur Rommens is edging closer to fitness but will not be ready in time for this one. McInnes is forced to lean on depth and adaptability rather than his strongest hand.
Celtic arrive with better news. Record signing Kasper Hogh returned from injury in the 1-0 win at St Johnstone, adding a timely attacking option. Kieran Tierney is nearing a comeback and could make it in time for the Old Firm, a potential emotional lift as much as a tactical one.
O’Neill shuffled his pack in midweek, handing a debut to goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and leaving Viljami Sinisalo out, a decision that hints at a change in the pecking order. Cameron Carter-Vickers, rested entirely on Wednesday, is expected to be available again, bolstering the heart of Celtic’s defence for the biggest domestic test so far.
Predicted Rangers XI
Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Devlin; Curtis, Kim, Gassama; Naderi.
An Old Firm in September does not decide a season. But with a semi-final spot, a cup defence, and a new regime’s credibility all tangled together, it can certainly shape one.
