Rangers vs Celtic predictions and betting tips – Massive Old Firm contest

With Rangers and Celtic both trailing in the Scottish Premiership title race, neither team can afford a defeat on Sunday. Every Old Firm match is a big occasion, but this clash could be one of the most significant for years.

Will home advantage help Rangers to get over the line, or will Celtic triumph at the home of their fiercest rivals?

• Rangers to win – 5/4 with Tote
• Under 2.5 goals – 5/4 with Bally Bet
• Youssef Chermiti to score any time – 7/4 with bet365

Rangers vs Celtic odds

Find the latest Rangers vs Celtic betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Rangers vs Celtic predictions

March arrives this weekend and neither Rangers nor Celtic are top of the Scottish Premiership. That will not change regardless of what happens in the penultimate Old Firm league derby of the campaign.

With Rangers four points off the pace and Celtic six shy of the summit of the standings (albeit with a game in hand), Heart of Midlothian lead the way.

To even be in with a sniff of the championship at this stage is an achievement in itself. In financial terms, Hearts are not in the same league as Rangers and Celtic. Yet with 18 wins and six draws in 28 games, Derek McInnes’ side have made themselves the team to beat.

Hearts have done a wonderful job, but they have also benefitted from Rangers and Celtic’s many shortcomings.

Whatever happens from here, the 2025/26 season has contained plenty of lessons for the Old Firm duo to learn from. 

Both have made disastrous managerial appointments. Russell Martin never won over the Rangers fans in his brief tenure. Wilfried Nancy, a mid-season arrival at Celtic Park, tried to change too much, too quickly.

The incumbents, Danny Rohl in the blue half and Martin O’Neill donning green and white, have steadied their respective ships.

Rangers have risen from eighth when Martin was sacked to second today. They won the last Old Firm derby and recently beat Hearts 4-2. Rohl’s side are currently on an 11-match unbeaten run in the Premiership.

O’Neill has made Celtic similarly competitive across his two spells. Since his return to the Parkhead dugout on January 5, Celtic have collected 16 points from a possible 21.

Yet it has not been entirely plain sailing. Take last weekend, when Rangers scrambled to a 2-2 draw with last-placed Livingston and Celtic lost 2-1 at home to Hibernian. Hearts, meanwhile, beat Falkirk 1-0.

Those results swung the race in the favour of the Edinburgh upstarts. Hearts are now 6/4 favourites to end the campaign with medals around their necks, followed by Rangers at 2/1 and Celtic at 9/4.

Expect those prices to shift again in the next few days. Perhaps one of Celtic or Rangers will emerge as Hearts’ most likely challengers. Or maybe McInnes’ men, who host Aberdeen on Saturday, will pull clear of both Glaswegian giants. 

One thing is for sure: fans of Scottish football will not want to miss this weekend’s action.

Rangers vs Celtic betting tips

Rangers and Celtic are ready to renew hostilities at Ibrox on the first day of March.

Rangers to edge it

This will be O’Neill’s first Old Firm derby of the season. Brendan Rodgers was in charge in August and Nancy led the team in November and January. 

The Celtic legend will be desperate to oversee his first victory at Ibrox since April 2005, but we reckon it will ultimately be a disappointing afternoon for the Hoops.

There is unlikely to be much between the two teams, but two factors should help Rangers. One is home advantage, not least because Rohl’s side have won 10 in a row in front of their own fans.

Secondly, Rangers have had a full week to prepare for this match, whereas Celtic were playing in the Europa League in Germany on Thursday.

Rangers to win at 5/4 with Tote

Tight, tense affair

Both Rangers and Celtic will consider this a must-not-lose game. 

If Hearts take care of business against Aberdeen, they will be on 63 points at kick-off. A defeat would thus leave Celtic nine points adrift, while Rangers would be six points behind Hearts and one behind Celtic, who would also have a game in hand.

When the stakes are so high – and the rivalry is so bitter – we often see tight, tense and scrappy games of football.

Goals are likely to be at a premium here. There have been under 2.5 goals in the last two Old Firm derbies at Ibrox and we expect that to be the case on Sunday too.

Under 2.5 goals at 5/4 with Bally Bet

Chermiti on target?

The Old Firm derby can make or break reputations, as Youssef Chermiti knows well.

Chermiti had few backers at Rangers up until he notched a brace in the 3-1 victory at Celtic Park at the start of 2026.

The Portuguese then notched a hat-trick against Hearts earlier this month, further enhancing his status as a big-game player.

Rangers will once again look to Chermiti for inspiration in and around the penalty area on Sunday. Do not be surprised if he gets his name on the scoresheet in another massive match.

Youssef Chermiti to score any time at 7/4 with bet365

Rangers vs Celtic predicted lineups

• Rangers expected lineup: Butland; Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Rommens; Skov Olsen, Raskin, Chukwuani, Moore; Chermiti, Naderi.
• Celtic expected lineup: Schmeichel; Araujo, Murray, Scales, Tierney; McGowan, McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Yang, Cvancara, Tountekti.

Where to watch Rangers vs Celtic

• Location: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Celtic.
• Date and time: Sunday 1st March, 12pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.

More Scottish Premiership predictions

We have plenty more Scottish Premiership predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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