Celtic vs Rangers - an exciting derby with goals ahead

The defending Scottish Premiership champions Celtic will host the Glasgow rivals Rangers on Saturday at Parkhead for the 414th Old Firm derby and the first of the 2022-23 season. Each team has started the league season unbeaten, although the Hoops are two points ahead of the Gers.

Celtic, riding high after winning the Premiership for the 52nd time last season, has started the new campaign with six straight wins and a Premiership-best 25 goals scored. The Hoops kept their perfect Premiership record intact with a 9-0 rout of Dundee United at Tannadice last Saturday. Since then, Ange Postecoglou's squad has progressed to the third round of the Scottish League Cup after cruising to a 4-1 victory against Ross County in Dingwall on Wednesday night. Callum McGregor, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda, and James Forrest all scored in the victory. With the Rangers coming to Parkhead this weekend, Celtic will face their most formidable opponent of the season. Still, they will enter the game full of confidence, having already demonstrated why they are the team to beat in Scotland. While Celtic have won their past two matches against Rangers in the Premiership, they have only won two of their last 11 games against the Gers. Celtic will be looking ahead to next week's home opener in the Champions League group stage against Spanish powers and current holders Real Madrid while trying to beat their bitter Glaswegian rivals. Celtic manager Postecoglou will have his whole roster players available this weekend and will likely give some of his regular starters another go after giving them the week off.

Last Saturday, the Gers scored four goals against Ross County in the Premiership. Antonio Colak, John Lundstram, and Steven Davis were all on the scoresheet at Ibrox. On Tuesday, a heavily rotated squad defeated Queen of the South 3-1 in the second round of the Scottish League Cup. Giovanni van Bronckhorst's squad has gone eight games without losing all competitions since their 2-0 loss to Union SG in the first leg of a Champions League qualifier. During this stretch, they have scored twice in seven of those games. Celtic, who are currently on a 20-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, including a 2-1 extra-time loss to the Gers in the Scottish Cup semi-finals last season, pose a severe threat to the Gers' outstanding streak. Only William Wilton (1892), William Waddell (1971), and Graeme Murty (2018) have failed to win any of their first four top-flight encounters as manager of the Gers against Celtic. Van Bronckhorst's cup success is the only occasion he has triumphed against the Hoops. Rangers manager Van Bronckhorst is widely anticipated to start his strongest available side on Saturday despite sweeping changes for the team's cup win over Queen of the South earlier in the week. In the absence of injured central defenders Ben Davies, John Souttar, and Filip Helander, Connor Goldson and James Sands are slated to start. At the same time, Jon McLaughlin will likely replace Allan McGregor in goal.

This calendar year, Celtic has earned seven points from Old Firm matches, and the home team appears to be in a stronger position to score than their visitors this weekend. Supported by a raucous home crowd at Celtic Park, the Bhoys enter this match in excellent form, having not lost a Premier League game on their turf in 27 attempts. This doesn't rule out the possibility of trouble for Celtic from Rangers. Scoring has occurred in 14 of the previous 15 Old Firm encounters for the Gers, while BTTS (yes) backers have been paid in nine of the last 12 away league matches for the Gers. Therefore, a home victory with goals from both teams is predicted.