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The teams emerge to a thunderous reception, Hampden divided in two into blue and green. For the right to play St Mirren at this venue in December … here we go.

Other Matches

Additional games: John Brewin offers real-time commentary for West Ham vs Newcastle in the Premier League; Yara El-Shaboury delivers fresh updates from the early kick-offs in the Women's Super League.

Turning to this match, approximately five minutes remain before the game begins at Hampden Park!

Officiating Team

Nick Walsh takes charge this match. He also refereed the 2024 cup final between Celtic and Rangers and a continental game the previous campaign where he showed four dismissals and 12 yellows. Avoid challenging him.

Coaching Perspectives

Danny Röhl: While this is his first Old Firm, the recently appointed boss has made it clear recently that he's used to participating in other important local clashes during his managerial journey, with Bayern Munich and with Sheffield Wednesday.

I recall when Hansi Flick took over, our subsequent fixture took place against Dortmund at our stadium. We secured a 4-0 victory. It consistently offers motivation following success in these encounters. Furthermore, in the EFL Championship in the Steel derby, I was involved in that as well. I understand the significance among the followers. This transcends ordinary football.

The German manager has been praising 73-year-old Martin O'Neill's longevity.

I hold great admiration for such a managerial journey. I consider it consistently remarkable in this profession when you work so long in this business and you are successful.

I'm only starting out my coaching path. I have a lot of work to do to achieve similar status however the positive aspect we begin level, different generations and we'll discover what we can demonstrate via our selections in this game.

I'm tremendously excited. I've gained some experience but I expect an enormous event during Sunday's match. To participate in such a match, it's all or nothing. Victory means reaching the final, defeat means elimination. I think everything is on for a great, great game.

Rival Coach

The experienced boss: The temporary Celtic boss has been reflecting this week concerning his debut match with Rangers two and a half decades past, the memorable 6-2 victory.

Certainly, matching that achievement might be extremely difficult, scoring six goals against those opponents. I would accept a scrappy single-goal triumph should we achieve it. Some lads come up and inform me: 'That was a fantastic encounter', despite not being born at the time. They tell me their grandfathers and fathers discussed it frequently. It transformed into a crucial game for our team, not just that season, but possibly for sustained development.

The anxiety for approximately three days prior to the match, and then if you got the result, a great relief. And I think that's what the renowned Walter Smith often mentioned too, that it was relief more than anything else. Yet these represented superb matches truly. It's still a fantastic fixture.

This is a big game for us. Truthfully, don't hide that reality. It's a last-four clash, it's a crucial contest for us. Each encounter between these rivals constitutes a significant occasion, but particularly given the conditions of the past few days, possibly even months, definitely.

Managerial Experience

Two different coaches leading their teams today yet there's a substantial disparity in Old Firm experience between them. Danny Röhl encounters his inaugural as Rangers manager while Martin O'Neill gets ready to manage his twenty-eighth.

Today's result could have a major impact on how long O'Neill's second spell as stand-in Celtic coach lasts, as Ewan Murray has been pondering.

They could potentially invest substantial compensation to lure Kieran McKenna from Ipswich Town. They might consider a larger risk with Robbie Keane. The reigning champions might choose to offer Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen a debut opportunity in British football. These are all gambles in their own way. More than O'Neill? This is debatable.

Starting Lineups

Celtic FC (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Sarrachi; McGregor, Engels, Nygren; Maeda, Kenny, Tounekti.

Reserves: Sinisalo, Balikwisha, Yang, Osmand, McCowan, Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Tierney.

Marcelo Sarrachi begins instead of Kieran Tierney at left-back. James Forrest also drops out from the starting lineup that overcame Falkirk in midweek.

Rangers (3-4-3): Butland; Djiga, Souttar, Cornelius; Tavernier, Diomande, Raskin, Meghoma; Aasgaard, Chermiti, Danilo.

Substitutes: Kelly, Aarons, Fernández, Rothwell, Antman, Moore, Gassama, Curtis, Miovski.

James Tavernier gets the nod ahead of Max Aarons on the right side, featuring Mohamed Diomande taking Connor Barron's suspended place in the middle with Thelo Aasgaard favored over Mikey Moore in offensive positions.

Preamble

Greetings and welcome to this derby match. It's got to be better {than last time|compared to the previous meeting|versus