Celtic v Rangers betting tips: Hoops well placed to steal march in title race
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Celtic v Rangers betting tips and odds
The fourth and final Old Firm game of the season in the Scottish Premiership takes place at Parkhead on Sunday in a high noon contest where victory for Celtic, available at 10/11, will almost certainly guarantee them the title.
The Hoops hold a six-point lead over their arch rivals with four games remaining, so the pressure is on Rangers to keep the race alive three days after their narrow defeat in the Europa League.
It promises to be an electric atmosphere in Glasgow, so let’s look at the main talking points and some of the markets in our Celtic v Rangers betting tips.
Celtic v Rangers form
Rangers went close to holding RB Leipzig to a goalless draw in Germany on Thursday only for Angelino to give the Bundesliga side a 1-0 advantage with a well-struck volley from outside the area five minutes from time.
Gers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, whose side overturned a 1-0 deficit against Braga in the quarter-final, said: “We know what to do next week. It’s a final in Seville we can qualify for.
“So we have to give everything and I’m sure our home game next week at Ibrox will give us a lot of energy to overcome Leipzig. They are a quality team as you saw but we want to reach the final. We have to prepare well as always next week and give everything to reach Seville.”
Domestically, Rangers have lost just three SPL games this season, two of which came against Celtic, so they are going to have to up their game significantly if they are to make a successful title defence.
🎙️ Giovanni van Bronckhorst spoke to the media ahead of Sunday's Old Firm match. pic.twitter.com/zoOYVk8iHj
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 29, 2022
The Light Blues have several key players out injured, though, and start the game as 3/1 underdogs, while it’s 5/2 on a draw which would suit Celtic just fine.
The Hoops remain unbeaten at home in the Scottish Premiership, winning 14 of their 16 matches during which they scored 44 goals and kept 12 clean sheets.
They are 11/5 to win to nil and 19/10 to win and over 2.5 match goals as they have in half of their games at Celtic Park this season.
𝙒𝙀. 𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍. 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙋. ✊#CelticFC's Callum McGregor and @Tom_Rogic have been nominated for the @PFAScotland 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 award 🏅
Best of luck, Bhoys! 🤞🍀 pic.twitter.com/DScYCZ7gEn
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 27, 2022
As you would probably expect they have the best first-half record of all 12 teams (W23 D9 L2) and at home it’s W10 D6 L0, so they can be backed at 2/1 to be ahead at the break and the final whistle or it’s 7/2 on Draw HT/Celtic FT.
Van Bronckhorst’s side have only failed to score away from home twice this season, once against Celtic, and it’s 27/10 on the hosts winning and conceding, while both teams to score and over 2.5 goals is 6/5.
Celtic v Rangers head to head
Celtic have held the upper hand this season, avenging a 1-0 defeat in August by winning the last two SPL meetings, both of which took place in the last three months.
Rangers, though, defeated their rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-final with an extra-time own goal after the scores had ended 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.
A score draw is priced at 10/3, while the match to end 1-1 for the second successive game is 11/2 in our Celtic v Rangers betting tips.
Two of this season’s encounters were goalless at the break which is 33/20, while there were three goals in the last two league matches and we go 13/2 on another lively opening 45 minutes.
Van Bronckhorst suggested it could be an open encounter at the weekend when he said: “Yesterday the approach was to bring a good result back to Ibrox, Sunday we have to go all out and do everything for the win.
“Our focus is now on Celtic, we will recover and prepare for the game on Sunday. The belief is there, we will go there to get a good result. My objective is to have my players well prepared mentally and physically.”
Celtic v Rangers team news
Not only are Rangers disadvantaged by the fact they were in Europa League action on Thursday and have just over 48 hours to recover, but they were also without Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe and Aaron Ramsey.
Van Bronckhorst started Stephen Wright and Ryan Kent up front in what looked a 5-3-2 formation, but with Rangers needing to win the Dutchman is likely to ditch one or two defenders to make his side more potent in attack.
Celtic defender Josip Juranovic suffered an injury in the cup clash with Rangers and is likely to miss out again.
Midfielder Nir Bitton has been out for a month with an unspecified injury and he remains doubtful.
Goalscorer odds
Celtic have been scoring freely lately, smashing seven past St Johnstone, although the goals have generally been spread throughout the team, but Georgios Giakoumakis is the 7/2 favourite to break the deadlock having scored two hat-tricks this season, although he has yet to find the net against Rangers.
Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring in the 2-0 win at Ross County and is 4/1 to repeat the trick or 6/4 in the any-time market in our Celtic v Rangers betting tips.
🗣️ "The most important thing is to make the team have a victory. As a striker I would like to contribute to a victory."@Kyogo_Furuhashi 🍀🇯🇵
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 27, 2022
Reo Hatate drew first blood in the rout against St Johnstone and the win against Rangers in February, so we go 15/2 and 14/5 on the Japanese in the two options.
Roofe is the favourite from the Rangers contingent, but with doubts over his availability, Fashion Sakala is next in the betting at 6/1 and 14/5, although he has failed to score in his last eight games.
Penalty-taker James Taverier has 15 goals in all competitions this season and is 12/1 to get the ball rolling or 9/2 to score as he did in the Old Firm win at Ibrox three years ago.
Match Info
Where: Celtic Park
When: 12:00, Sunday 1st May
How to watch: Sky Sports
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
