Celtic v Rangers Betting Tips
OLD FIRM BET BUILDER
Rangers to Win or Draw
Dujon Sterling to Commit 2+ Fouls
Luis Palma to Have 1+ Shots on Target
Abdallah Sima to Have 1+ Shots on Target
Celtic to Win More Corners
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Saturday, December 30 – 12.30pm: Celtic v Rangers
Old Firm Derby Scottish Premiership match at Parkhead
TV: Sky Sports Football
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Rangers to win or draw (Double Chance)
Celtic will start Saturday’s Old Firm encounter with Rangers at Parkhead as favourites to claim all three points, yet the value is with the visiting team going into this game given the form that Philippe Clement’s side are in.
Rangers have won their last seven fixtures in all competitions and are yet to taste defeat under the Belgian, and though they are depleted by injury, they received something of an unexpected boost in midweek when their match against Ross County was postponed due to bad weather, allowing them to rest their legs ahead of this monumental clash.
Celtic, meanwhile, have been far patchier. The Hoops have only won eight of their last 15 in all competitions while they recently lost back-to-back league matches for the first time in a decade.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have been dominating teams but they have been incredibly wasteful in front of goal, and any continuation of that on Saturday against a buoyant Rangers will see them punished.
Although Celtic won the previous derby 1-0 at Ibrox, they rode their luck in that game, with Kyogo Furuhashi’s strike coming against the run of play.
Dujon Sterling to commit 2 or more fouls
Dujon Sterling will again be asked to play out of position in a central midfield role for Rangers, where he promises to be sternly examined by the Premiership leaders.
The former Chelsea youth-teamer is already Gers’ top offender in terms of fouls per minute and against Motherwell last weekend committed a couple of offences as he played the full 90 minutes.
Against opponents whose central midfielders are likely to see more of the ball, the prospect of Sterling negotiating the full match without giving away a free-kick or two appear slim. This looks excellent value.
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Luis Palma to have 1 or more shots on target
Celtic’s attacking play is channelled down their left side, where Luis Palma has been making a name for himself so far this season. Brendan Rodgers loves to get his wingers one-v-one with the opposing full back, which means that James Tavernier will be tested by the summer arrival.
While Palma is a major chance generator for Celtic, particularly making cutbacks for Matt O’Riley, he is also a goal threat himself and is likely to test Jack Butland at least once as he tries to add to the five goals he has this term. Palma is also Celtic’s first-choice penalty taker.
Abdallah Sima to have 1 or more shots on target
Sima may not have scored in his last couple of games, but the on-loan Brighton winger remains a man in form for Rangers. He has bagged nine goals in the Premiership this season and has taken more shots per game than anyone else in the league with the exception of Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland.
Sima will be seeking to exploit Celtic’s weakness for conceding crosses from the left and is likely to be asked to act as a second centre forward in these situations. That should be a recipe for the 22-year-old to muster at least one effort on goal.
Celtic to win more corners
Celtic are by far and away the Premiership’s dominant team when it comes to winning corners. On a match-by-match basis, they average 10.55 corners per game, which is more than four-per-game more than these opponents do. At home, that figure climbs to 12.2 per match.
While they are unlikely to pick up that figure against their Glasgow rivals, it would be surprising if they did not dominate this match in terms of possession and territory, and with Rodgers seeking to isolate the wingers, this is a formula for earning more corners than Rangers.
Old Firm Derby Betting Tips
Rangers to Win or Draw
Dujon Sterling to Commit 2+ Fouls
Luis Palma to Have 1+ Shots on Target
Abdallah Sima to Have 1+ Shots on Target
Celtic to Win More Corners
- A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 22/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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