Celtic go into the first league Old Firm derby of 2026/27 holding a five point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership after six wins from six, though Rangers walk into Celtic Park on 20 September 2026 having beaten them 3-0 in the League Cup just a week earlier. Celtic lead on 18 points, Rangers on 13 and the points gap alone would make this a significant fixture, before you even get to the scoreline from last weekend.
Martin O'Neill returned to Celtic on 11 June 2026, replacing Wilfried Nancy's interim stint, while Derek McInnes took the Rangers job six days later after Danny Rohl's exit. The two managers had barely crossed paths in competitive football before McInnes won that cup quarter final 3-0 and whatever he got right that night is now O'Neill's problem to answer.
Celtic's league form has been flawless, though the Europa League has been a different story. The 1-3 loss to Ferencvaros midweek was a reminder that sustained pressure can find gaps in this side. Rangers have won their last five across all competitions, including that cup result and a 1-0 league win against St Mirren and that cup performance has given them something concrete to build on.
Celtic are without three players who matter: Alistair Johnston's hamstring injury removes their most reliable overlapping full back, Jota is still in ACL recovery and Callum Osmand is out with an ankle problem, leaving Celtic short of width and defensive cover down the right. Rangers arrive with their own absences, most notably Lawrence Shankland, whose movement shapes much of their counter attacking game, who is out with a hamstring tear and Youssef Chermiti, also unavailable after an ACL injury. McInnes will need to rebuild his attacking shape around Kevin Kelsy.
Celtic's width comes primarily through Johnston overlapping on the right and without him that avenue is largely closed. Callum McGregor dictating tempo from deep is how Celtic create structure going forward, with Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Duran leading the attack and the team will lean heavily on midfield combinations to manufacture space as a result, which puts extra pressure on Nygren, who has been in good scoring form. Rangers set up compactly, press with purpose and used set pieces to clear effect in the cup win, something McInnes had evidently prepared carefully for. Dan Neil will look to disrupt Celtic's build up while Olwethu Makhanya has been one of their better defensive performers this season. Without Shankland, the wider players carry more of the creative responsibility.
Whether McGregor can find space between the lines and play through Rangers' press will probably determine how the game goes, because if he can, Celtic will create chances in volume. Rangers showed in the cup that they can score on limited opportunities when the press lands early and a repeat of that would make this very uncomfortable for the home side.
Celtic lead the all time series with roughly 39 wins from 84 meetings compared to Rangers' 27, though the most recent of those 84 was that 3-0 defeat. The absence of Johnston matters defensively for set pieces too, where he would normally provide aerial presence at the back and Rangers used their delivery game well in the cup. Celtic can create wide free kick situations of their own but set pieces feel like a genuine area of concern for O'Neill's side given who is missing.
Celtic 2-1 Rangers is our call. With McGregor dictating tempo from deep and Nygren in good form, Celtic have enough quality at home to come through this but Rangers have already demonstrated this season that they can beat this side and their organised defence and set piece game will make the afternoon far from straightforward.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
