Old Firm Derby Tensions As O'Neill Replies To Rohl Clash Ahead Of Celtic At Ibrox

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Rangers and Celtic meet at Ibrox on Sunday in an Old Firm derby with major title implications, as only two points separate the rivals in the Scottish Premiership table, and with Rangers favoured for victory despite Celtic holding a game in hand on both the Gers and current leaders Hearts.

Danny Rohl’s Rangers side sit second, four points adrift of Hearts, while Martin O’Neill’s Celtic occupy third place. Celtic’s schedule has been congested due to Europa League duties, yet this league clash is viewed as pivotal rather than decisive, with 27 Premiership points still available after the derby.

OPTA’s model gives Rangers a 44% chance of winning this Old Firm derby, with Celtic assigned 29.2% and the draw rated at 26.8%. Rangers also carry strong momentum at Ibrox, having won 10 successive home matches in all competitions by a combined score of 32-4.

That home run recalls two notable Rangers streaks. The Gers most recently claimed 11 straight home wins in December 2013 under Ally McCoist, and the last time they reached 11 in a single season came in April 2003 with Alex McLeish, when the 11th victory was a 3-2 success over Celtic in December 2002.

Rangers are unbeaten in their last five league Old Firm derby encounters, recording three wins and two draws, after losing four of the previous five, with one draw in that earlier spell. Strikingly, they have had four different managers across those five recent meetings: Philippe Clement, Barry Ferguson twice, Russell Martin and Rohl.

For Celtic, this is Martin O’Neill’s first league Old Firm derby since guiding a 2-1 victory at Ibrox in April 2005. O’Neill’s overall Premiership record against Rangers remains strong, with eight wins in the last 10 league derbies as Celtic manager, and two defeats during that sequence.

Old Firm derby tension after Stuttgart and comments

The temperature around this Old Firm derby increased following Celtic’s Europa League exit to Stuttgart, where O’Neill’s team went out 4-2 on aggregate despite a 1-0 away win in Germany on Thursday. Rohl’s reaction to Celtic’s approach in that match drew particular attention in Glasgow media.

Rohl said: "I was a little bit surprised after 1-0 that they’re not trying to win this game 2-0 or 3-0, to have a chance. They kept the result until the end." The remarks suggested Celtic showed too little ambition in pursuit of overturning the first-leg deficit against Stuttgart.

Old Firm derby selection debate and Martin O’Neill response

Rohl also publicly raised the topic of Celtic’s goalkeeping choice for the Old Firm derby, wondering whether O’Neill might recall Kasper Schmeichel. Schmeichel had been replaced by Viljami Sinisalo after high-profile mistakes in the first leg against Stuttgart, prompting questions about who would start in goal at Ibrox.

When those comments were presented to O’Neill on Friday, the Celtic manager offered a firmly worded reply. O’Neill said: "He felt we didn’t try and win the tie? He wants to be involved in some of these games! I never saw it like that. And he’s picking our team? Well done, old Danny! He’s only been in less than a year himself. He’ll soon know all about it in the next four or five years. I must sit down here and see if I can find out if he has a choice between some of his players, and whether I can put my oar in there and find out what he’s doing. I have to laugh. He’s had a comment about our team? The picking of the team? Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary. He hasn’t been in Glasgow long."

Additional friction arose from Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan’s post-match assertion that the Bhoys were the only Scottish team capable of reaching a high European level, following that second leg in Stuttgart. Those remarks irritated Rohl, who referenced them while emphasising the current league positions and recent results.

Rohl responded: "We are in second position. They are behind us. I think they have had seven defeats. It makes no sense to speak too much about the other side. It’s a crucial game, but no team will be out after this game because there are still 27 points you can take."

Old Firm derby players to watch: Rangers vs Celtic

Rangers forward Mikey Moore is a key figure for this Old Firm derby. Moore scored in the most recent league meeting between the teams in January and has five Scottish Premiership goals this season, an impressive tally for an 18-year-old in a demanding fixture schedule.

The last player aged 18 or younger to exceed Moore’s league total in a single Premiership season was Ryan Gauld, who registered six goals in the 2013-14 campaign. The previous non-Scottish teenager to reach that six-goal mark was James McCarthy, who achieved it during the 2008-09 season.

Celtic’s main attacking threat in the Premiership has been Benjamin Nygren, despite Nygren spending 46% of league minutes in central midfield. Nygren shares top spot in the scoring charts with Tawanda Maswanhise on 14 goals, underlining a consistent contribution from both midfield and advanced roles.

Nygren also features near the top of several attacking metrics for 2025-26. The Celtic player ranks second for total shots with 67, and shots on target with 30, while standing third in expected goals, posting a 10.0 xG figure. These numbers highlight Nygren’s central role in Celtic’s domestic attacking play.

Old Firm derby odds and Rangers vs Celtic data

OPTA’s projected chances for the Old Firm derby between Rangers and Celtic highlight the hosts’ edge, yet leave room for a competitive contest, with nearly 30% probability assigned to a Celtic victory and more than a quarter of simulations pointing towards a draw at Ibrox.

The match preview points towards a Rangers win, influenced by their strong home form and recent unbeaten league run against Celtic, while O’Neill’s historic derby success and Celtic’s game in hand sustain the visitors’ title hopes, ensuring this Old Firm derby carries weight without being a final measure of either side.