Rangers Face Uphill Battle Against Celtic’s Dominance

Celtic captain Callum McGregor scored in September’s 3-0 victory against Rangers. The upcoming Premier Sports Cup final between Celtic and Rangers is scheduled for Sunday, 15 December, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, with a kick-off at 15:30 GMT. Coverage will be available on BBC Radio Scotland & BBC Sounds, alongside live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app. Following Thursday’s events at Ibrox, where Rangers largely outplayed, entirely outfought, and nearly outscored Tottenham, Nicolas Raskin became a significant topic of discussion. The 23-year-old Belgian’s recent displays indicated a significant improvement in his fitness and impact within the Rangers midfield. However, the ultimate assessment of this progress was against a group of Premier League midfielders acquired by Tottenham for an approximate combined cost of £180m. Raskin successfully met this challenge. His intensity, influence, and work rate were central to a determined Rangers performance. The team demonstrated a fighting spirit that their opponents from Tottenham did not match. Raskin was recognized as the standout player. Despite Tottenham’s notable reputation, Thursday’s match is primarily viewed as a precursor to the main event: Sunday’s League Cup final against Celtic. Raskin performed well against Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, and James Maddison. He now faces Callum McGregor, a challenge that has largely eluded any Rangers player over the past three years. McGregor has not been the sole contributor to this period of dominance. Consistent patterns include Daizen Maeda outmaneuvering James Tavernier, Kyogo Furuhashi surpassing Rangers defenders in attack, and Cameron Carter-Vickers asserting control in defense. Rangers are recovering from a difficult period and are currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak. Raskin’s effort and 22-year-old Hamza Igamane’s goal-scoring contributions have positively impacted the team’s fortunes. However, this situation is not unprecedented. Over the past three seasons, Rangers have entered Old Firm matches following unbeaten runs of eight, nine, 13, 14, and 14 games, only to be halted by Celtic. Celtic are considered superior to the Tottenham side that played at Ibrox. Despite his enthusiasm for his team’s spirit, this reality will be clear to Philippe Clement. He has faced the harsh realities of these fixtures, having a record of five games, four defeats, and one draw against Brendan Rodgers’ team, a draw he described as a moral victory. In contrast, Rodgers has lost only one of 19 games against Rangers. Rangers have not scored against Celtic in nearly four hours of play. Furthermore, Rangers have not held a lead against Celtic in any match, whether league or cup, for nine hours, a period extending back to Michael Beale’s tenure. Since Celtic’s current period of dominance began with Ange Postecoglou’s arrival in Glasgow, there have been 17 encounters. Out of 1,560 minutes played (including extra time in the 2022 Scottish Cup semi-final), Rangers have been ahead for only 154 minutes. Of these, 85 minutes occurred in a match two seasons ago when Celtic had already secured the Premiership title. Rangers have opened the scoring in just three of these 17 games since Postecoglou, followed by Rodgers, established firm control. Kyogo, with eight goals, has frequently been the key performer, but McGregor has been instrumental in coordinating the team’s efforts. Few Rangers teams have managed to effectively prevent him from dictating the pace and influencing the result. Consequently, a veteran observer of the Ibrox environment, speaking on Thursday, emphasized that scoring first would be crucial for Sunday’s match. Rangers have not achieved this in a significant Old Firm derby – the 3-0 result in May 2023 is considered inconsequential in this context – since April 2022, when Aaron Ramsey scored. However, scoring first did not guarantee a positive outcome for Rangers on that occasion, as they still suffered defeat. Rangers have, at times, performed well in segments or entire matches. They showed a combative spirit in last season’s Scottish Cup final but were defeated. They played competently last May after John Lundstram’s red card but lost 2-1. They demonstrated considerable resilience in the preceding game, resulting in a 3-3 draw. They arguably should have secured a victory at Ibrox in January 2023, but Kyogo scored an equalizer two minutes before full-time. Rangers have not secured a win in six Old Firm derby attempts. Their record stands at one victory in 13 matches and three wins in 17 encounters over the past three years. While a more cohesive Rangers team might be emerging, Celtic consistently represent the ultimate challenge and are still considered strong favorites. Clement will need to ensure his players match the emotional intensity displayed at Ibrox when they play at Hampden, while also improving their accuracy and clinical finishing. Rangers face uncertainty regarding John Souttar’s availability while preparing for the dynamic challenge posed by Celtic’s attackers. Addressing Maeda’s threat often leads to Kyogo emerging, containing Kyogo then presents Nicolas Kuhn as a new issue, and managing Kuhn can result in Adam Idah scoring from the bench in the final moments, as he did at Hampden in May. Thursday’s performance likely appeased Clement’s critics, those who sought his departure. However, he, like others, understands that the only way to permanently silence them is to defeat their primary rivals. For the sake of his reputation and his team’s momentum, Rangers urgently need to secure this trophy. Celtic, naturally, have historically shown little concern for Rangers’ requirements. They almost consistently find a way to win, whether through skill or sheer determination, and it appears unlikely they will cease doing so now.