Rangers vs Celtic: High Stakes at Ibrox in Scottish League Cup

Rangers and Celtic collide at Ibrox on Sunday in the first Old Firm of the season, with a place in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals on the line and a whole lot more simmering beneath the surface.

Last season in Scotland was chaotic, gripping, and ultimately green and white. Celtic emerged from a three-way title scrap to land a Premiership and Scottish Cup double, leaving Rangers to sift through the damage and start again.

They did that by turning to Derek McInnes. The former Hearts manager walked into Ibrox as the man trusted to reset the club, only to be hit by a brutal early setback as Rangers crashed out of Europe. Pressure arrived quickly. So did the questions.

Four straight Premiership wins have eased the noise. Not silenced it, but dulled it. Now comes the real test of where McInnes’ Rangers stand: a cup quarter-final Old Firm, at home, against the champions, with a fanbase desperate for a statement.

High stakes at Ibrox

Celtic, under Martin O’Neill, are hunting a different kind of response. They lost the League Cup last season in shock fashion to St Mirren, a defeat that stung despite the double that followed. This competition is unfinished business.

O’Neill’s side travel across the city knowing exactly what this fixture can do for momentum. Win at Ibrox, move into the last four, and reassert control over the rivalry. Lose, and Rangers’ revival suddenly looks very real.

The backdrop is tense. The last time Rangers hosted Celtic, in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, the occasion descended into chaos. The fallout has been decisive: there will be no away supporters at Ibrox on Sunday. An Old Firm played to a one-sided crowd, the noise funnelled in one direction, the pressure in another.

Kick-off is at 12pm BST on Sunday 13 September, live on Premier Sports 1 and the Premier Sports Player. Lunchtime for everyone else, a boiling point for Glasgow.

Team news: Rangers stretched, Celtic reloading

Rangers come into this tie patched up and short in key areas. Captain Lawrence Shankland is out for months with a hamstring tear, a major blow to both dressing-room leadership and goal threat. Youssef Chermiti is already sidelined with a hamstring problem of his own, stripping McInnes of another central striker.

New signing Daisuke Yokota is also missing through a hamstring issue, while left-back Tuur Rommens is edging closer to fitness but will not be ready in time for this one. For a manager looking to build rhythm and identity, the injury list is brutal.

Celtic’s situation looks brighter. Record signing Kasper Hogh made his return in the 1–0 win at St Johnstone, a timely boost ahead of the derby. Kieran Tierney is nearing a comeback and has a chance of making it in time for Ibrox, which would add both quality and emotional heft to O’Neill’s options.

In midweek, O’Neill shuffled his pack. He handed a debut to goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, preferred over Viljami Sinisalo, and rested key figures. Cameron Carter-Vickers was left out entirely but is expected to be available for the Old Firm, reinforcing a defence that will be tested by the Ibrox atmosphere as much as the Rangers attack.

Predicted Rangers XI

Rangers are expected to line up as follows:

Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Devlin; Curtis, Kim, Gassama; Naderi.

A side that blends industry and energy, but one missing its main finisher.

So it comes to this: a new-look Rangers, a Celtic team chasing another trophy, an empty away end and a semi-final place up for grabs. For McInnes, is this the day his Rangers project truly begins, or the day the questions return with twice the volume?