The Old Firm takes center stage at Hampden Park on Sunday as Celtic and Rangers battle for the Scottish League Cup.
Celtic, in the most sensible opener, is recently unbeaten in the league and has lost just one adjustment in Europe. Brendan Rodgers’ side embark on the Derby after a forged functionality opposite Dinamo Zagreb mid-week Champions League where Celtic held the Croatian club to a draw and untouched.
Rangers, however, won’t go down without a fight. Fresh off an impressive Europa League campaign, they’ll aim to retain the title they claimed last year.
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The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Here’s how to watch this Scottish League Cup final in the UK:
TV Channel: Primero Deportes 1Live Broadcast: First Sports Player
This game is available for live TV broadcast on Premier Sports 1. Streaming options are available on Premier Sports Player.
This Scottish League Cup final takes place at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland and kicks off on Sunday, December 15 at 3:30 p.m. local time.
Brendan Rodgers could be tempted to travel with the same team he inspired in the Champions League opposite Dinamo Zagreb, but there is a fear in the defence. Alstair Johnson is a doubt after feeling a challenge to the hip of Celtic’s draw.
Up front, Daizen Maeda’s excellent hat in the 6-0 semi-final win over Aberdeen joins Kyogo Furuhashi up front.
Celtic predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Schmeichel (GK) — Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor — Bernardo, McGregor, Hatate — Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda.
Injured: Johnson (hip, doubt), Thiago HolmSuspended: None
The Rangers, on the other hand, have injury issues.
Midfielder Tom Lawrence is still out and centre-back John Souttar is the main fear after limping off against Spurs.
Rangers’ planned composition (4-2-3-1, left): Butland (GK) -Tavernier, Balogun, Propper, Jefte-Barron, Raskin-Cerny, Diomande, Yilmaz-Igamane
LESTRADO: Lawrence (leg), Kasanwirjo (knee), Matondo (hamstring), Cortes (muscle), Souttar (hamstring)
Celtic and Rangers will be determined to win the Premier Sports Cup and deliver an anticipated Christmas gift to their followers. It is artificial fireworks in this historic confrontation of Old Firm!
However, on paper, it turns out to be a kind of trafficking. Rangers have only beaten Celtic once in the last thirteen meetings. So, Bhoys sees this one.
Prediction: Celtic 3-2 Rangers
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Syed Talib Haider is a content producer for The Sporting News working across English-language editions.