Line up, preview and where to watch the Old Firm clash that could give Hearts the title

Celtic caretaker manager Martin O’Neill will take charge of what he hopes will be his final Old Firm game against Rangers on Sunday, where the defending Scottish Premiership champions are six points adrift of leaders Hearts.

Hearts took a big step towards their first title since 1960, and first non-Old Firm title since Aberdeen in 1985, with a 2-1 win over Rangers at Tynecastle last week.

That left Derek McInnes’ side three points clear of Celtic, who won 2-1 at Hibernian, leaving Rangers with seven points and three games to play.

Hearts will look to pile on the pressure on Celtic with a win at Motherwell on Saturday. If they do, a win for Rangers will leave the Edinburgh club needing just one point from their last two games against Celtic and Falkirk to clinch the title.

Any points dropped by Hearts at Fir Park could raise the profile of the Old Firm and give both sides a boost as they aim to keep hopes alive in an impressive treble.

Regardless of Hearts’ result on Saturday, a win for Celtic will keep them on track for a tough final day clash with McInnes’ side. A win for Hearts and a draw in the Old Firm will give the leaders the chance to take the title at home with a win against Falkirk on Wednesday.

Celtic have won the title in 13 of the last 14 seasons and O’Neill believes the Bhoys’ acceptance of the unfamiliar position of striker is important.

“It’s not the position the football club has found itself in in recent years,” O’Neill said of Celtic playing the chasing pack. “Usually, they went clear and there was no opposition.

“There has been a lot of opposition this year, not just from Rangers, but obviously it comes from the heart.

“So it’s a big, big change, it’s not something that a few of these players are used to, you have to get used to it, you’ve been chasing, you have to keep chasing.”

For Rangers, nothing but a win will be enough for their dim title hopes, although they will be over if Hearts beat Motherwell. Even so, the visitors would be happy to face Celtic who could defend the title.

“It’s a special game for us,” said Rangers manager Danny Rohl.

“No one needs extra motivation to come into this game. We want to make our fans and fans proud and that means we have to get the job done on Sunday.”

Rohl has insisted he is committed to Rangers amid reported interest from Wolfsburg, and wants to turn the club into one that can’t be consistently dominated after letting Hearts go.

“A good process is not enough,” he explained. “We want to win titles this time we have to change things, set standards but we have to raise the standard if we do this we will have a chance.

“If you look back a little and we are honest with each other, in the last 15 years we have not achieved what we should have done.

“I think this is the biggest part that we have to change, this time, we have to make a lot of things better.

“That starts setting the standards. I think in the last six months we have raised the standards, they have gone higher and higher. In the last seven days, we have not been able to.

“I think this is a big part of our future. Set new standards and that means we have to change things in this building, this is important.

“We don’t just have to play good and successful football for 45 minutes, we have to turn it into 90 minutes, to control the game and all those things.”

Celtic v Rangers team news

Celtic have a long injury list, including Colby Donovan (hamstring), Julian Araujo (thigh), Kasper Schmeichel (shoulder), Callum Osmand (hamstring), Adam Montgomery (calf), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles) and Jota (knee).

Daizen Maeda limped off in last week’s win over Hibs but is fit to play.

Bailey Rice is the only absentee for the Rangers, as he misses out with a hamstring injury.

Predicted lineup for Celtic v Rangers

Celtic: We have a lesson; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Engels; Hyun-Jun, Nygren, Tounekti; Maeda.

Guardians: Butland; Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Rommens; Chukwuani, Raskin; Gassama, Diomande, Aasgaard; Chermiti.

Where to watch Celtic v Rangers: TV and streaming online

Celtic v Rangers kicks off at 12:00pm on Sunday. It will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. It will also be available to stream on Sky Go.

Celtic v Rangers stats

• Celtic are winless in six league games against Rangers (D3 L3). They went on a long winless run in the Old Firm from September 1995 to November 1997 (10).
• Rangers have won their last two league visits to Celtic, as many as 19 times (W2 D4 L13). They last won three league games in a row against Celtic in November 1992 under Walter Smith.
• Celtic have won their last four league games. The longest winning streak in the Premiership this season is five games, which came during O’Neill’s spell in charge from October to December.
• Rangers have lost their last two league games, as they have in their last 39 games (W21 D16 L2). They have not lost three consecutive Premiership games since October 2000 under Dick Advocaat.
• After leading Rangers to a 3-1 win at Celtic Park in January, Rohl would become only the second Gers manager to win his first two league games against their biggest rivals. He would follow in Smith’s footsteps (the first three from 1991 to 1992).

Celtic v Rangers prediction

After seeing their title hopes dimmed last week, Rangers will be looking to bounce back in January and do everything in their power to deny Celtic the title. However, it seems very likely that the two sides will withdraw.

Prediction: Celtic 2-2 Rangers

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