Celts Set For Derby Showdown

Celts Set For Derby Showdown
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


Skipper Callum McGregor in action against James Tavernier


Ipox Stadium, Glasgow
Sunday, 3 September 2023
12.00 BST

The first Glasgow derby of the season is upon us, and Celtic will be looking to steal an early advantage in the race for the League title when these two foes meet tomorrow.

It's safe to say it has been an inauspicious start to Brendan Rodgers' second stint in charge of the club, and are going into this game under some pressure, having failed to find the back of the net in consecutive games against Scottish opposition for the first time since April 2019.

The Hoops will need to be prepared to be much more clinical in front of goal as well as steadfast in defence if they are to depart Govan with all the points.

The Bhoys go into this game knowing a win would extend the gap at the top of the table, while defeat would see even more pressure on Rodgers being applied just 5 games into the new season.

And while it is undoubtedly too soon to say that tomorrow's outcome will be season defhining considering there is still a long way to go in the campaign, it will undoubtedly givean early advantage in the title race.​

Kyogo Furuhashi fires home during the 3-2 win against Sunday's hosts, back in April

While Brendan Rodgers has his hands full finding solutions to those issues, coming into this game the hosts are far from flying high either.

Having lost to Killie on the opening day of the League season, Michael Beale's side have certainly wobbled through European qualification, before being unceremoniously dumped out of Champions League participation by virtue of a 5-1 (7-3 agg) hammering at the hands od Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, pressing them into the Europa League.

That said, this will be far from easy task for Celtic, as no Scottish team has managed to leave Govan victorious in over a year, not since Ange Postecoglou's Bhoys triumphed in April 2022.

With both sides having been so active during this transfer window, it will be interesting to see how the two sides actually line up on Sunday.


1931: John Thomson bravely dives to save the goal that cost his life

This week will also mark the 92nd anniversary of one of, if not, the most shocking and saddest days in the history of Celtic - the tragic death of the 'Prince of Goalkeepers', John Thomson, on the 5th September 1931.

The Fife-born native joined Celtic in 1926 and it wasn't long before he had established himself as the first choice 'keeper for both club and country, winning the 1927 and 1931 Scottish Cups along the way and making 163 competitive appearances for the club overall, before that fateful day at Ibrox. He was just 22 years old.

Rest in peace, John Thomson. Never forgotten. You'll Never Walk Alone.



By the Numbers​

• The Hoops won 4 of the 6 meetings between these sides last season - including wins in both the League Cup & Scottish Cup - while drawing once also.

• During Brendan Rodgers' first stint as Celtix boss, he won 10 of the 13 derbies across all competitions that were played during his tenure. (P13 W10 D2 L1)

• Sevco have not lost at Ipox against any domestic competition in over a year, with Celtic being the last visiting side to come away victorious, back in April 2022.

• Sunday's hosts have not had a single spotkick awarded against them in 2 of the past 3 League seasons, and have not been penalized at Ipox in the League since September 2019.

Yang provided a bright spark in an otherwise poor team performance against St Johnstone last week

Team News

There are more than a few headaches for Brendan Rodgers ahead of this game. After a pair of underwhelming performances, team selection will be crucial, both because of the injury crisis at one end of the park and getting the team firing at the other.

There has been some transfer activity going on this week, including the signing of Honduran winger, Luis Palma and the loan signings of midfielder Paulo Bernardo (Benfica) and Nat Phillips (Liverpool), who will help to ease the crisis at the back.

Speaking of which, the Bhoys will once again be without defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers (hamstring), Maik Nawrocki (hamstring) and Stephen Welsh (ankle), in addition to the continued absence of Reo Hatate (calf) and Mikey Johnston (back).

On a more positive note, Oh Hyeon-gyu has also been included in the the upcoming South Korea NT squad for the upcoming friendlies against Wales and Saudi Arabia, which suggests that the striker should be in contention for at least a place on the bench tomorrow, while Marco Tillio and Yuki Kobayashi have resumed training once again.

Referee: Don Robertson

The 36yr old whistleblower has 158 top flight matches to his name since making his Premiership debut in 2014 - although this will be the first time handling a Glasgow derby.

Celtic's Overall Record
M: 31 W: 27 D: 3 L: 1

VAR: Alan Muir



~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 36 W: 20 D: 6 L: 10​

Last 5 Meetings
L W W W D

~~~~ 2023/24 Form ~~~~

All Comps
D L W W ~ L W D W D

SPFL
D W W ~ W W L​