Rangers vs Celtic Prediction: Hoops will silence Ibrox in Thursday’s Old Firm derby

We have a full six-match programme from the Scottish Premiership on Thursday from 15:00. The third Old Firm derby of the season is the headline act and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event.

Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse picks Celtic to pile the pressure on their under-fire hosts as he takes us through his Rangers vs Celtic Predictions...

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Rangers enjoy home advantage over Celtic for the first time this season as Govan provides the backdrop for Thursday’s Old Firm derby. The stadium will be packed to capacity with Rangers fans as the feud between the Glasgow rivals over the away allocation continues, meaning Celtic supporters will be locked out again. You can follow the play live on Sky Sports from 3:00pm and make predictions using the Betfred website and app.

Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic make the short trip across Glasgow with a stunning 14-point cushion over Rangers and the chasing pack. Brendan Rodgers’ side remain unbeaten in the league and registered a simple 3-0 win in the reverse of this fixture back in September. Will the Bhoys continue their dominance while heaping misery on the home manager, squad, and fans?

Rangers vs Celtic Odds

Rangers have an injury crisis in the middle of defence, with Clement forced to play Dujon Sterling at the back alongside summer recruit Robin Propper. That patchwork defence has already crumbled under pressure, conceding four goals in their last two games, with Rangers leaking seven in their previous four starts.

The home side have also scored seven goals in four games. Will they out-score Celtic on Thursday? You’ll find the home win at 21/10 when betting with Betfred.

Celtic arrive in high spirits. The Hoops are at the top of the league with 50 points on the board after 18 games played. Their stats show 16 wins against two draws, 52 goals scored, and only four conceded. They’re also the newly-crowned League Cup champions after beating Rangers on penalties at Hampden earlier this month.

The Bhoys hold a playoff place in the revamped UEFA Champions League, and a New Year win over Rangers would set the club up for more success in 2025. You can back the visitors at 5/4 or play the draw at 5/2.

Celtic to be winning at HT

Rangers have been notoriously slow starters under Clement, and that problem has resurfaced during a hectic festive period. The games come thick and fast in winter, and the Belgian’s team is already beginning to crack. Rangers were 2-0 down at Fir Park on Sunday, trailed 1-0 at the break in Paisley on Boxing Day, and were goalless in the game before when hosting Dundee.

Looking beyond the bare results in Celtic’s winning streak, we see the champions led at half-time against St Johnstone, Motherwell, and Hibs this month. They were also two goals ahead at the interval when last playing Rangers in the Premiership. If the visitors can score early and grasp this derby, they’ll silence the home fans and rattle their opponents. Back Celtic to be winning at half-time on Thursday.

Celtic to win both halves

With a bet on Celtic to win the first half at decent odds already picked, we aim for a play at an even more attractive price with our second shot. Back Celtic to win both halves on Sunday and test the Rangers board’s patience with Clement. Much of the fanbase has already chucked in the towel and admitted they’ve seen enough of their manager.

If Celtic do as expected and take a lead into the break, the champions have shown many times already this season that they have the quality to kill off opponents.

Celtic led St Johnstone 1-0 at HT before scoring three goals in the second half. They did the same against Motherwell in the game before and won the second half 3-2 in the League Cup final. Celtic were 1-0 up against Hibs, then kept their foot on the gas to win 3-0. With the problems in the home defence, we’re happy to try our luck on Celtic winning both halves.

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...