Preview:Celtic vs Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

With upheaval rife at both Celtic and Rangers, Sunday's Old Firm Scottish League Cup semi-final clash at Hampden Park could springboard the winner and transform their respective seasons.

Interim Celtic boss Martin O'Neil will hope his side can repeat their 4-0 quarter-final victory against Partick Thistle when they play Rangers, who beat Hibernian 2-0 in the previous round on September 20.

Match preview

Following the dramatic departure of Brendan Rodgers this week, Celtic turned to former boss O'Neil, who coached the club from 2000 until 2005.

The Northern Irishman oversaw a 4-0 win against Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday, but they still find themselves in second place with 20 points, trailing first-placed Hearts by six points after 10 matchweeks.

Perhaps the Scottish League Cup can provide some respite from the top flight given the Bhoys have won the competition seven times in the last nine seasons, including when they beat Rangers on penalties in the 2024-25 final.

Celtic's slump this campaign can be attributed to their poor defensive setup, one that has seen them concede 10 goals in their past six games, though they did also find the back of the net on 10 occasions in those fixtures.

O'Neil's side have alternated between wins and losses in their six most recent outings, and they were also held to stalemates in their prior two matches.

Rangers appointed Danny Rohl as boss on October 20, taking over from Russell Martin, who was dismissed from his role after just 17 games in the dugout.

When Rohl took charge, the club were in eighth place with nine points in the league, but the new head coach won both of his games in charge and the team are now third with 15 points.

The Light Blues won the League Cup as recently as the 2023-24 campaign, with that win sandwiched between two seasons in which they finished as runners-up, but their prior triumph came in 2010-11.

Rangers are currently unbeaten in four games against Celtic, drawing their past two encounters with their fierce rivals, whereas they had failed to get the better of their opponents in their previous seven meetings.

The Gers will hope to extend their winning streak to three matches on the weekend, and perhaps fans should be confident given the club have only been defeated once in their past five, scoring and conceding seven times.

Celtic Scottish League Cup form:

Celtic form (all competitions):

Rangers Scottish League Cup form:

Rangers form (all competitions):

Team News

Celtic are dealing with long-term injuries to centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers and winger Jota, with both set to miss an extended period due to knee issues.

With right-back Alistair Johnson having also suffered a hamstring setback against Strum Graz on October 23, perhaps Colby Donovan, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney will start in a back four.

Considering Jota will play no part, O'Neil could line up with an attack consisting of James Forrest, Benjamin Nygren, Johnny Kenny and Sebastian Tounekti.

Rangers must contend with the absences of central defender Dujon Sterling and forward Rabbi Matondo, while centre-back Derek Cornelius is a doubt due to a swollen eye.

Rohl is likely to trust Nasser Djiga and John Souttar as two thirds of his back three, and he will wait as long as possible to see if Cornelius can complete the defence ahead of goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Forward Danilo has been declared fit, and he may play in a frontline also featuring Mikey Moore and Bojan Miovski.

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Donovan, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Engels, McGregor; Forrest, Nygren, Tounekti; Kenny

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Djiga, Souttar, Cornelius; Tavernier, Diomande, Raskin, Meghoma; Moore, Danilo; Miovski

We say: Celtic 3-2 Rangers

With both teams having recently changed managers, there is a chance that Sunday's match could be messy given the clubs are still finding their feet with new faces in the dugout.

Though Celtic do not boast a strong record against Rangers in recent encounters, their history in the Scottish League Cup suggests they could find a way to win in tough circumstances.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.