Celtic lost to Rangers in the League Cup before a Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros; the Ibrox side could make it six straight wins after a tough start under Derek McInnes; watch the first Old Firm league game of the season this Sunday, live on Sky Sports Will Derek McInnes complete the double against Celtic, or can Martin O’Neill recover from a nightmare week to move eight points clear of Rangers? The Old Firm sides meet in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, seven days after the Ibrox side laid down a marker with an emphatic League Cup win. While McInnes appears to have weathered an early storm at Rangers, O’Neill is looking for solutions after Celtic followed up that 3-0 defeat with a 3-1 loss to Ferencvaros in the Europa League. Only Celtic fans will be inside Parkhead at the order of the authorities amid a ticket allocation spat between the two Glasgow giants.
We look at some of the talking points ahead of what is sure to be another fascinating encounter… It is amazing how quickly things can change in football. Just a few months ago, O’Neill was at peak legendary Celtic status after saving their season to deliver a league and cup double. They then capitulated against LASK and crashed out of the Champions League, but a winning domestic start kept the pressure off.
However, the League Cup defeat to Rangers, followed by their Europa League loss to Ferencvaros means Sunday could be seen as a must-win for the veteran boss – even if the 74-year-old does not think so. Celtic are guaranteed to go into the international break top of the Scottish Premiership, but few Celtic fans would accept back-to-back defeats to their fiercest rivals. Especially when they have dominated domestically for so long. O’Neill will be desperately seeking solutions ahead of Sunday’s game after admitting their confidence has taken a hit.
While the pressure is mounting at Parkhead, it appears to be easing at Ibrox after a turbulent start for McInnes. Failure to secure European football and a slow start domestically had many wondering if he was the right manager to deliver silverware. But then the results started to come, and a tactical masterclass against Celtic to reach the League Cup semi-finals has switched the momentum. The former Rangers midfielder backed himself to bring success to the club and victory on Sunday would put them just two points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
But defeat would leave them eight points in arrears after just seven games. If that happens, the scrutiny would no doubt return. It is not just a selection headache, but a dizzying migraine facing O’Neill – with five key positions to ponder before Sunday’s showdown. You can only confidently predict six of his starting XI: captain Callum McGregor, talismanic midfielder Benjamin Nygren, top scorer Camilo Duran, fans’ favourite Kieran Tierney, reliable defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and academy graduate Colby Donovan.
GK: Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was less than convincing on his Old Firm debut last weekend and was replaced by previous No 1 Viljami Sinisalo against Ferencvaros on Thursday. LCB: Liam Scales and Auston Trusty regularly trade places at left centre-back, but the former has started the last two matches in that position. CM: Captain McGregor was left exposed as a solo sitting midfield player at Ibrox so O’Neill might be tempted to bring in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Mika Baur to provide additional protection. He must weigh-up whether he sticks with one six and two eights or switches to two sixes and one 10.
RW: Haissem Hassan has impressed since signing from Real Oviedo this summer but was left out of the starting XI last Sunday. The Egyptian must surely be in contention – especially if Rangers are expected to defend three-vs-three at the back. ST: Club-record signing Kasper Hogh has scored in just one of his seven matches for Celtic so far. He was left on the bench against Ferencvaros to allow Duran to operate in his more natural No 9 position and may find it difficult to dislodge the Colombian from there.
If that were to be the case, it is a toss-up between James Forrest and Sebastian Tounekti for the left-wing berth. McInnes got his game plan spot on at Ibrox, and Celtic could not live with his team. He used left-back James Penrice as an auxiliary midfielder to flood the middle of the pitch – allowing Rangers to press Celtic man for man. Djeidi Gassama and Min-Su Kim provided width and energy as wing-backs with Dujon Sterling, Emmanuel Fernandez and Olwethu Makhanya defending three-vs-three against Celtic’s front line.
It was a bold decision that paid dividends as Celtic folded under the pressure. Dan Neil snatched the starring role of midfield general from his Celtic counterpart McGregor, who was left isolated without a defensive-minded midfield partner. The former Sunderland man would probably have still been named player of the match even if he had not netted two famous derby goals. But Celtic Park will be a different test, especially with no away fans.
McInnes opted for two strikers last Sunday, but he might plump for an extra body in the heart of midfield. If he does switch, will it be Ryan Naderi or Kevin Kelsy in that No 9 role? Kelsy scored his first Rangers goal last weekend and was a constant threat, Naderi provided the assist but is a doubt for Sunday’s showdown with an ankle problem. He also has the option of Bojan Miovski, a player who knows the intensity of playing at Celtic Park from his days with Aberdeen.
If McInnes gets it right, he will be the first manager since Walter Smith in 1991 to win his first two Old Firm games in charge. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player “We’re far from rock bottom. “We’re still in the lead and if we could win this, we can extend the lead and if we don’t, even by the international break, we’re still going to be in front. “We’re going to try and put that right if we can.
But I know the last time we had an international break was in March time and we played very poorly against Dundee United. “So that was, if you can call it a wake-up call or a moment of quiet reflection or whatever the case may be. We turned it round. The players are capable of turning it round.
“It’s a big game, whether it’s played in September or March time. “We need to be up for the game. Do we need to win the game? It would be nice to win it, it wouldn’t be great if we lost.
“That would be three on the trot. Psychologically, it would be a blow. But we need to be up for it.” Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player “Just because you win the game doesn’t mean it always says you’ve got the tactics right and, equally, when you lose a game, it doesn’t mean it says you’ve got them wrong. “I think sometimes tactics can get a wee bit overplayed.
I do think you normally win games during the individual moments and the performance of players being really high and really strong. “We look to do something similar in terms of our approach. We want to make sure the aggression’s there, the confidence is there to play. “The energy that we displayed last week, these are all the things that are more important than tactics.
“Hopefully the players go into the game and onto the pitch with that message loud and clear that a big performance is required. “You don’t win at Celtic Park unless everybody plays well. We’ve got to try and bring something similar and look for those improvements again. “Once the ball rolls, it’s a game of football that we need to concentrate on the detail, in and out of possession, what we’re looking to try and do.”
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