Celtic’s 3 men who can do the damage against Rangers at Ibrox

Celtic have had the bragging rights in Scottish football’s biggest fixture in recent times, with the Hoops recording five victories and one draw in their past six meetings with Rangers.

However, the Gers are now unbeaten in five games. Pedro Caixinha’s men thumped Dundee 4-1 in their last home game, so this visit to Ibrox could well prove one of Celtic’s toughest games of the season.

Still, having come out on top time and again in the Old Firm game last term, the Hoops are 3/4 favourites for victory. Here are the men who will likely make the difference if they are to do so once more this weekend…

Scott Brown

Few players have been more of a thorn in Rangers’ side in modern times than the Celtic legend. The first of his 31 outings against the Gers to date came in a Hibernian shirt, as he set up two of Ivan Sproule’s treble in a 3-0 victory at Ibrox.

Brown has been part of a winning side in more than half of his meetings with the Hoops’ Glasgow rivals. That included a stellar display in the pair’s last meeting, as Celtic ran riot with a 5-1 victory in G51.

A hugely experienced performer with a talismanic streak, the canny midfielder will surely play a big role in the midfield battle once again.

Having twice scored away at Rangers for the Bhoys, he could prove a savvy longshot in the Anytime Goalscorer market at 7/1.

Jonny Hayes

If the Gers have an Achilles heel at present, it’s at left-back. Injury to Lee Wallace has left the inexperienced Declan John as deputy.

The 22-year-old loanee certainly isn’t a bad player, but he’s played just twice for the club, and hasn’t featured in a game of this magnitude for parent club Cardiff City.

That’s something Celtic’s right-sided midfielder Jonny Hayes will surely look to exploit. He’s certainly well-equipped to do so. The Irishman breezed through defences last term for Aberdeen, racking up 19 assists.

He has the trickery, pace and neat distribution to leave John red-faced on that flank.

Moussa Dembele

Come on, you didn’t think we’d leave him out, did you?!

The Frenchman was Rangers’ tormentor-in-chief last season, chalking up five goals and two assists in five meetings with the Teddy Bears. That included a hat-trick at Parkhead, as well as a late Hampden Park winner in the League Cup.

While he was a top performer throughout the campaign, the pressure of Old Firm games seemed to bring out the very best in the 21-year-old.

Despite a lay-off with injury in the early part of this campaign, the former Fulham prodigy took no time to readjust on his return, netting against Ross County in the Ladbrokes Premiership last weekend.

Celtic won every league game the Pontoise native scored in last term, so the 19/10 for Dembele to Score and Celtic to Win could prove a value bet.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing