Rangers vs. Celtic prediction, odds, betting tips and best bets for Scottish Premiership match | Sporting News India

The Old Firm derby finally returns to Ibrox Stadium as Rangers play host to arch-rivals Celtic in one of Europe’s most famous inter-city clashes.

As these two teams seemingly square off more and more often, the recent meetings have only seen Rangers play at home in one of their last six, as they have been drawn away repeatedly in Cup competitions.

Most recently, Celtic pipped their Old Firm rivals to hoist the Scottish League Cup a few weeks ago in a penalty shootout after a back-and-forth 3-3 draw at Hampden Park.

Celtic have dominated this fixture in recent years, and sit a whopping 14 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table coming into this league meeting, but the Old Firm is rarely short on excitement.

Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi is second in the Scottish top-flight scoring table with eight goals, one behind leader Sam Dalby of Dundee United. His teammate Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn is nipping at his heels with seven of his own, level with Rangers leading scorer Vaclav Cerny.

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Rangers vs. Celtic prediction, odds

• Moneyline lean: Celtic (+125 on BetMGM)
• Score prediction: Rangers 2-3 Celtic

While home field matters a great deal in these heated rivalry games, it’s impossible not to back the better team at plus odds.

It’s just a fact that at this moment, Celtic are simply the better team. Rangers mounted a truly miraculous double comeback in their League Cup final meeting a few weeks ago before losing on penalties, but the fact remains that the Celtic squad is more talented and more consistent as it stands.

Celtic have lost outright just once to Rangers across their last 14 matchups, a 3-0 defeat which came in a meaningless postseason game six days after Celtic had already confirmed their 2022/23 league title. Rangers could certainly snatch a result here, but Celtic have opened a huge gap at the top of the standings for a reason.

Rangers vs. Celtic match facts

• Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025
• Kickoff Time: 3 p.m. local (10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT)
• Location: Ibrox Stadium (Glasgow, Scotland)
• Referee: Don Robertson
• Last meeting: Celtic 3-3 Rangers (Dec. 15, 2024 | Premier League)

MORE: Latest team news and injuries for Thursday’s Rangers vs. Celtic match

Rangers vs. Celtic best bet

• Pick: Half with most goals — 2H
• Odds: +105 (BetMGM)

While fluky selections like this aren’t often advisable, things seem to get exceedingly weird between these two clubs after halftime.

Across the last six Old Firm derbies across all competitions, 13 of the 21 total goals scored have come after the break, and that includes an odd 2-1 Celtic win back in May where they went into halftime up a goal and a man but failed to add to the lead despite pummeling Rangers all throughout the final 45 minutes.

The losing team often ramps up the second-half pressure more than usual given the needle of this fixture, and thus slightly plus odds on this pick are a gift.

Rangers vs. Celtic prop bet

• Pick: Daizen Maeda anytime goal scorer
• Odds: +340 (BetMGM)

Daizen Maeda has never been about volume…except when it comes to playing against Rangers.

The Japan international is one of the streakier attackers in this fixture, and he’s in exceptional form at the moment with goals in his last two league games — one from the start and one off the bench, meaning he’ll be somewhat rested for this key derby.

He has tormented Rangers in recent years, scoring a goal in three of their last four Old Firm meetings across all competitions, including at Ibrox in the 3-3 league draw last season, his second time scoring at today’s venue. Maeda does a ton of defending and doesn’t get forward often, but he finds an extra gear in the club’s biggest games.