Rangers v Celtic: low stakes, high intensity | OneFootball

Celtic wrapped up the Scottish Premiership with a 5-0 thrashing of Dundee United, but still have a point to prove in this upcoming fixture.

Celtic rule Scotland once more

Many talk about the Scottish Premiership as a two horse race, but in reality, Celtic have dominated the league for years. Rangers prevented their rivals from achieving 10-in-a-row, but since then the Bhoys’ dominance has continued to grow.

Rangers showed promise in the Europa League, reaching the quarter-finals, before meeting their match in Athletic Club. However, it has been yet another poor domestic season for the Ibrox outfit, which could see Celtic lift a sixth treble in the space of eight years.

For Celtic, this has been a season of growth. Progress was finally made in the Champions League and despite Brendan Rodgers facing the occasional criticism for his team’s predictability, it has been a comfortable domestic season of pure dominance.

Rangers have outdone Celtic in this fixture

There is nothing that could possibly dampen the delights of a treble winning campaign, but losing three league derbies would cause frustration to any set of supporters. This is especially true of Celtic, who have struggled against Rangers in their recent meetings.

The Hoops easily topped Rangers in the first derby of the season, winning 3-0 at Celtic Park. However, the cup final was much tighter, as it took a Ridvan Yilmaz miss in a penalty shootout to give Scotland’s now most successful club the victory.

Rangers have since secured a 3-0 victory at Ibrox and a rare win at Parkhead. These victories have meant little in the grand scheme of things, but it does mean the Gers are on top in the overall head-to-head record between the teams.

No trophies for derby victories

Unfortunately for Rangers, lifting silverware requires turning up more than once a season. Too many poor performances have caused this final derby to have no effect on the table’s standings.

Philippe Clement was a good talker, but his teams’ displays were substandard far too often. This led to his eventual sacking and short-term replacement by Barry Ferguson.

The brutal reality is that under Ferguson, Rangers have continued to be poor. A win over Dundee due to a last-gasp goal is the only victory they have recorded since the last time they faced Celtic.

The derby still means something

No matter how the league table reads, Rangers v Celtic is always a game worth watching. This is especially true considering what happened the last time the teams met. From Václav Černý spraying Celtic’s supporters with water, to the Green Brigade being denied entry to the stadium by police, tensions will be high.

The Celtic dressing room will be just as eager as the supporters to get revenge. With Rangers refusing to give the champions a guard of honor, humbling them in front of their own fans would be a nice way to round off their final clash of the season.

Still, playing Simply the Best down the tannoy as the players come out could be viewed as a mark of respect and sportsmanship. Because, you know, that’s technically what Celtic are.

This fact will be a motivating factor for Rangers. Winning three of four league derbies is the only achievement they have the chance of accomplishing this season and as far as consolation prizes go, that is rather favorable.