Celtic vs Rangers Prediction & Betting Tips (20 September)

Celtic host Rangers in the first Scottish Premiership Old Firm derby of 2026/27 on Sunday 20 September 2026 at 12:00 BST, with Celtic Park the venue and Celtic top of the early table after six straight league wins. The big latest news is the revenge subplot: Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on 13 September, but Martin O’Neill’s league leaders still hold a five-point cushion over Derek McInnes’ side and have the more explosive domestic scoring record so far.

Celtic’s Premiership form is perfect: 0-1 at St Johnstone, 1-2 at St Mirren and 3-0 against Aberdeen, taking their league haul to 14 scored and only three conceded. In European 1X2 odds that makes Celtic the clear home favourite at roughly 1.75, with the draw near 3.75 and Rangers around 4.20; even after the cup defeat, the market still leans to Celtic because their league control has been far more consistent.

The 2026/27 squad picture points to Celtic’s attacking depth deciding the game: Camilo Durán, Kasper Høgh and Yang Hyun-jun offer varied finishing behind Benjamin Nygren, Luke McCowan and captain Callum McGregor, while Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney give a settled defensive base. Rangers will rely on Ivor Pandur behind Ben Godfrey, John Souttar, Emmanuel Fernandez, Dujon Sterling and Kosta Nedeljkovic, with Nicolas Raskin, Dan Neil, Tochi Chukwuani and Vanja Dragojevic feeding Lawrence Shankland, Bojan Miovski, Ryan Naderi and Djeidi Gassama on the counter.

Tactically, expect Celtic to dominate possession and territory, but Rangers’ cup win proves they can punish a slow start and defend deep before striking through set pieces and direct transitions. Our prediction is Celtic 3-1 Rangers: the hosts’ league intensity, Parkhead pressure and superior bench firepower should eventually overwhelm Rangers, even if the visitors score during the chaotic spells that usually define this fixt