In Round 22 of the Scottish Premiership, Celtic and Rangers face off against each other. The Old Firm Derby will take place at Celtic Park, with Rangers having a two-point advantage over their rivals. The Rangers came out as the winners when these two sides met last in the league.
Celtic have cut short Rangers’ lead to two points and are unbeaten in their last 17 league games. They have conceded the lowest number of goals in the Scottish Premiership this season. The Celts have conceded 13 goals and scored 47 in return. The home team have the highest xG rate of 58.46 in the division.
When looking at the above chart, the general rule is that the longer the bar, the better the performance — you can see the league average in the middle, and the % is the percentile rank the player is in. Celtic have the best attacking as well as defensive statistics in the league. The passing and progression chart shows that the Celts lead the chart in every department. Defensively, the team is very sound and has conceded the lowest number of goals.
Celtic have attempted 466 shots and 153 of them have been on target for the home team. 273 of the 466 shots were attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box. The above map shows all the shots attempted from open play. Celtic players have scored a lot of goals from inside or just from the edge of the opposition’s 6-yard box. Liel Abada has the highest threat rate and has scored seven goals for them.
Kyogo Furuhasi remains on the sidelines and is expected to remain out for this match. Club captain, Callum McGregor, could return to the starting XI after returning to training.
Rangers’ lead at the top of the table has been cut short to two points after they were held to a 3-3 draw by Ross County in their last match. This was their second draw in the last three games. The leaders have scored the highest number of goals in the Scottish Premiership. They have scored 48 goals with an xG of 47.67 and conceded 18 goals in return.
Rangers are just behind Celtic in both attacking and defensive statistics. The league leaders are strong in the air and have attempted the highest number of headed shots in the league, along with a high offensive duels win percentage. When looking at the defensive side, Rangers have a high defensive duels win percentage along with the highest number of recoveries inside the opposition’s half.
Rangers have attempted 416 shots and have managed to hit the target 156 times. They have attempted 268 shots from inside the opposition’s penalty box, and 109 of them have been on target. Rangers players are good in the air, and the defenders have scored some goals from corners. Alfredo Morelos has the highest xG rate, but he will miss this match. Kemar Roofe could lead the line for the league leaders and has the second-highest threat rate.
Leon Balogun has returned from injury and could feature in the starting XI. The new signing, Aaron Ramsey, won’t make his debut, as confirmed by the manager.
Celtic go into this fixture as the in-form team and will try to earn a victory over their rivals. Rangers, on the other hand, will be looking to get back on track and extend their lead at the top.
