Celtic face Rangers in the fourth Glasgow derby of the season after more midweek action.
Martin O’Neill’s side know that only a win will suffice their quest to retain the Scottish Premiership, as well as damage their rivals’ chances of finishing above them.
It isn’t the first time that the Hoops have faced their neighbours after a European gameweek, and recent history suggests that Celtic will be leaving Ibrox with all three points.
Celtic have an excellent record against Rangers after European games…
What do you think the score will be? 🤔
Celtic have won five of the last eight post-European games vs Rangers
Since the 2018/19 season, the Bhoys have won five of the last eight games against Rangers that have fallen after a European game.
Their most recent victory in this scenario came in the 2024/25 season after Rangers lost in the Champions League qualifiers against Dynamo Kyiv.
Celtic added to that misery by winning 3-0, with goals from Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor capping off an excellent day.
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2024 | Celtic 3-0 Rangers |
| 3 September 2023 | Rangers 0-1 Celtic |
| 3 September 2022 | Celtic 4-0 Rangers |
| 17 April 2022 | Rangers 2-1 Celtic |
| 29 August 2021 | Rangers 1-0 Celtic |
| 17 October 2020 | Celtic 0-2 Rangers |
| 1 September 2019 | Rangers 0-2 Celtic |
| 2 September 2018 | Celtic 2-0 Rangers |
They have tasted defeat three times after European games, but their last loss in this scenario was in August 2021.
Rangers won three games on the bounce at that point but, since then, Celtic have managed to balance the European and domestic schedule much better than their fierce rivals.
Concentration will be key for Celtic as late goal theme emerges
Concentration is an area that Celtic desperately need to work on, particularly in defence.
Too many sloppy goals have been conceded and stats show that Glasgow derbies that take place when one or both teams are playing in the Europa League, 38 per cent of the goals are scored in the final 15 minutes.
You can pick one Celtic player to score the winner against Rangers…
Who do you pick?
That’s a huge bump up from Champions League nights, where only 22 per cent of the goals are scored in the 75th minute or later, whereas a standard week is fractionally lower at 21 per cent.
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