Celtic vs Rangers Prediction: Title hopes rely on this blockbuster

The upcoming Old Firm derby at Parkhead is set to be a focal point as Scottish Premiership champions Celtic host their bitter Glasgow rivals Rangers. The two teams are currently separated by five points at the top of the table, with Rangers holding two games in hand on Celtic, a situation influenced by their recent midweek postponement. 

Celtic will be aiming to replicate their recent success, a 3-0 Premiership victory against Dundee. In that match, Celtic dominated with 74% possession and unleashed 37 attempts at goal, with 7 on target. The goals were scored by Paulo Bernardo in the 52nd minute and Mikey Johnston in the 83rd and 91st minute. Dundee managed 5 attempts on goal, with only 1 on target. However, it's worth noting that Celtic has struggled to keep clean sheets in recent games, conceding in 5 of their last 6 matches and letting in a total of 7 goals.

Rangers, under the management of Philippe Clement, have enjoyed an impressive unbeaten run since November, with 16 games undefeated at Ibrox. In their last seven matches across all competitions, they secured victories, including winning the Scottish League Cup against Aberdeen and successive 2-0 wins in the Premiership over St Johnstone and Motherwell, with the latter victory coming on Christmas Eve at Fir Park.

The scheduled match against Ross County on Wednesday was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, allowing the team extra days of rest ahead of the crucial encounter against rivals Celtic. In the reverse fixture three months ago, Celtic claimed a narrow 1-0 win at Ibrox through a first-half strike from Kyogo Furuhashi.

Rangers' recent record against Celtic in Old Firm derbies has been challenging, with only one victory in the last 11 encounters. However, their away form is promising as they have won seven and drawn one of their last eight Premiership games on the road. During this away run, they kept seven clean sheets and conceded only two goals since their 1-0 loss at Kilmarnock on the opening weekend of the season.

Celtic

Joe Hart, Alistair Johnston, C. Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Greg Taylor, Matt O'Riley, Callum McGregor, Paulo Bernardo, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Luis Palma

Rangers

Jack Butland, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun, Ridvan Yilmaz, Todd Cantwell, Dujon Sterling, Ross McCausland, Kieran Dowell, Abdallah Sima, Cyriel Dessers

Celtic narrowly won the earlier encounter against Rangers this season, setting the stage for another closely-fought contest this weekend. Both title-chasing teams are likely aware of the significance of avoiding defeat. While Rangers have shown strong form under Clement, Celtic has had the upper hand in recent Old Firm derbies. However, it's challenging to confidently back the hosts at home given their less encouraging performances in recent league matches.

Considering the motivation and title-winning drive of the Rangers side, it's difficult to dismiss their chances. Therefore, a 2-2 draw is considered the most probable outcome in this highly anticipated fixture.