Rangers v Celtic: Value to be had in backing Bears at Ibrox as Hoops eye the treble

Frank Monkhouse
11 May 2019

Steven Gerrard aims to do the double over Celtic at Ibrox

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Rangers host Celtic in a Sunday afternoon Old Firm derby and Betfair's Frankie Monkhouse has talked himself into a nice price bet...

"Despite that hard-fought 1-0 win for Rangers over Celtic when the teams last met at Ibrox, the betting is set-up against the locals and punters can get their hands on a tempting 2.982/1"

Rangers v Celtic
Sunday, 12:00
Live on Sky Sports

No guard of honour

The fourth and final Old Firm derby of the season takes place at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon when Steven Gerrard leads his Rangers side out against Neil Lennon's Celtic.

There's nothing to play for but pride in this match, but we've seen many times in the past little more matters to these age-old rivals. Celtic have already been confirmed as champions and they'll be keen to prove their worth. They'll get nothing for free in Govan.

All the talk in the build-up to this clash focussed on the possibility of a guard of honour, Rangers applauding Celtic onto the pitch as Premiership champions. We can safely say there's no chance of that.

Rangers improving under Gerrard

Steven Gerrard has helped his blues improve from third to second place in the Scottish Premiership and they recorded their first Old Firm win at Ibrox since 25 March 2012. They also go into this contest having won each of their last five league matches, the club's best top-flight record since 2011. Will the former England captain help them to a season double over their neighbours?

If so, the gaffer will have to do it without goalkeeper Alan McGregor who was sent off last Sunday for a moment of madness against Hibs and is now banned for the Celtic clash. The shot-stopper, who has been influential for his club this season, aimed a kick at Marc McNulty in the dying minutes of the match and was shown a straight red by referee Bobby Madden.

McGregor received little sympathy from his manager who explained in his post-match press conference he wouldn't embarrass himself by appealing the decision, and fans weren't in a rush to jump to the player's defence either. Back-up Wes Foderingham is expected to stand-in, with Andy Firth on the bench in support.

Celtic champions again

Celtic arrive fresh from claiming their eighth Scottish top-flight title in-a-row and they now stand on the verge of completing a historic treble-treble, with only fellow Scottish Cup finalists Hearts standing in their way. The title had been promised for a number of weeks, but The Hoops finally got over the line thanks to a 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie last time out.

That result was achieved with ease, Lustig firing his employers into a commanding lead before half-time, Simunovic and a late Edouard goal making sure. Interim boss Neil Lennon - hoping to play a part in securing another clean-sweep of Scottish football that could earn him the job permanently - told the press at full-time his team did it in style and can now enjoy their success.

That win in the Granite City means The Bhoys arrive at Ibrox unbeaten in no less than 16 league matches, that tally made up of 13 wins and three draws, scoring a total of 29 goals in the process. Impressive, but it's worth remembering their last defeat did come at this venue late last year.

One eye on the final

Despite that hard-fought 1-0 win for Rangers over Celtic when the teams last met at Ibrox, the betting is set-up against the locals and punters can get their hands on a tempting 2.982/1 when supporting a home win on the Betfair Exchange. That'll catch the attention of value hunters, especially on the back of those five wins on the bounce.

The upcoming Scottish Cup final on 25 May dominates the thinking of this Celtic team and Lennon will be eager to ensure his side are fresh and fully fit for that challenge in less than a fortnight's time. They'd love to hammer home the fact they are champions by beating their nearest rivals in front of their own fans and gaining revenge for December, but it's not their number one priority in the closing weeks of the campaign.

That's why there looks to be little value in the away win at 2.447/5 on the Exchange. The sides haven't drawn since December 2017, a run covering seven games. The level finish shouldn't be popular, even at the 3.65 currently available to users of the Exchange.

Case for the defence

Flicking through the stats of the previous meetings between the pair this season and the team playing at home has won by a margin of one goal on each occasion, split up by a couple of 1-0 results and Celtic's 2-1 at Parkhead in March.

It's also true one team has failed to hit the net in four of the last five renewals of the Old Firm Derby and that pushes us towards a bet on no from the both to score coupon, priced at 11/10 by the Sportsbook, which makes more sense than trusting yes at the shorter odds of 8/11.

Under/Over total goals will give those keen to avoid picking sides a lively interest and Betfair traders struggle to make their minds up on that one. Under 2.5 goals in the game is 4/5 against the 10/11 for over. Since the derby in March, Rangers have conceded just one goal, while their rivals are on a run of clean sheets.

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