Celtic vs Rangers Prediction: Champions will flex their muscles in Sunday’s Old Firm Derby

Sunday brings the fourth Old Firm derby of the current season as Celtic host Rangers at Parkhead from 12:30 GMT in a showdown you can follow live on Sky Sports. Will the Hoops make home advantage count to pull further clear of their rivals? Perhaps Barry Ferguson will record an early win over Brendan Rodgers just days after beating José Mourinho (and then just surviving in the return leg).

Celtic are the pre-match betting favourites with Betfred traders. Scottish football tipster Frank Monkhouse has been in profitable form this year and picked a winning acca last weekend. Keep reading for his Celtic vs Rangers Predictions in his full-match preview here on Betfred Insights...

Celtic have made light work of the Premiership title race and are within touching distance of a Scottish treble. Rodgers’ side are current keepers of the League Cup, having beaten Rangers on penalties at Hampden late last year. They’re also miles clear at the top of the league and shaping nicely in the Scottish Cup. Victory on Sunday would serve as yet another reminder of the Bhoys’ dominance.

Rangers make the short journey across Glasgow from Ibrox to Parkhead with little to play for in the coming weeks. They remain in the Europa League following an energy-sapping performance against Mourinho’s men in Govan on Thursday, beating Fenerbahce on penalties. But they’re out of both cups and failed to land a glove on their hosts for most of this season. Rangers are the underdogs on Sunday, and it’s difficult to argue against that.

Celtic vs Rangers Odds

Celtic enjoy the backing of a sell-out audience inside the arena. They are already 16 points ahead of Rangers in second place, scoring 28 goals more than their opponents and conceding nine fewer.

The locals have won each of their last two in the Premiership, beating Aberdeen 5-1 here and St Mirren 5-2 in Paisley. Celtic were last seen in action beating Hibs 2-0 here in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals. The home win is 7/10 favourite.

Rangers have proven no match for Celtic again this season. The light blues were more competitive in games against Celtic than they were in the previous campaign. But the Gers dropped too many points on the road and were out of the title race before the festive period.

The visitors' did win the previous Old Firm derby 3-0 at Ibrox, but will they double up and score an overdue derby win on the road in front of a handful of Rangers fans? The away win is 18/5, or you can back the draw at 16/5.

Over 2.5 goals

There’s nothing to play for at Celtic Park on Sunday besides three points and the pride that comes with an Old Firm win. Celtic suffered a thrashing in Govan earlier this year and will want their revenge, but the Hoops have nothing to lose. If Rangers win, the gap reduces to 13 points, hardly making a difference.

I don’t expect to see the most competitive Old Firm derby, but I do fancy a few goals. We’re backing over 2.5 goals in this game, and the stats suggest we’re looking in the right places. Each of the last three derbies have produced three or more goals. That approach was a winner when Celtic won 3-0 here in September; the pair finished 3-3 in the League Cup final, and Rangers raced to that 3-0 win last time.

You can back over 2.5 goals as a single, but it will work best in your weekend accumulators, helping to boost your returns.

Both score and Celtic win

A bet on the game producing three or more goals for both teams combined in our main pick. I’ll now cast my net further in the hope of landing a second bet at more attractive odds. We’re betting on both teams to score and Celtic to win. I’m hopeful of securing a profit as the hosts aim to prove why they’re champions, and Ferguson dreams of an Old Firm win as a manager after guiding the light blues to several key wins over Celtic as a player.

Picking both teams to score and Celtic to win would’ve landed you a return when the Bhoys beat the Gers 2-1 here last May. Matt O’Riley broke the deadlock that day before John Lundstrum knocked the ball into his own net. Cyriel Dessers smashed home a reply to cut the deficit. The visitors had an important game against Fenerbahce on Thursday that went the distance, and there will be a few tired legs in the camp. Bet on both score and Celtic win.

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...