Rangers and Celtic meet in the Scottish Premiership for the first Old Firm derby of the season at Sunday lunchtime. Joe Townsend has picked out two best bets.
Football betting tips: Old Firm derby
1.5pts Under 2.5 Goals at 10/11 (General)
1pt Both Teams To Score 'No' at 5/4 (BetVictor)
Rangers and Celtic arrive at the first Old Firm derby of the season fresh from clinching their places in the group stage of the Europa League.
Steven Gerrard’s side did so by returning to the kind of defensive resoluteness that was such a feature of their 2020/21 title-winning campaign, seeing off Alashkert 1-0 over two legs.
Only in the second leg it was not Gerrard’s Gers, as the Scottish champions showed great resilience to overcome his absence and that of captain James Tavernier, goalkeepers Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin, and winger Ryan Kent, with Gary McAllister in charge instead.
Kick-off time: 12:00 BST, Sunday
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Rangers 13/8 | Draw 12/5 | Celtic 8/5
With no clarity as yet over who will return for Sunday’s clash, avoiding the 1X2 market seems like a pragmatic position to take for now.
As for Angelos Postecoglou and Celtic, the Australian seems to be developing a very clear style at Parkhead, with goals usually on the menu.
A 2-1 defeat at AZ Alkmaar may have ended a six-game winning run, but it took the overall tally to a staggering 27 goals scored across Celtic’s past seven fixtures, an average of almost four per game.
Given that stat, you could be forgiven for reaching for the overs as the Hoops head to Ibrox. But Old Firm derbies are rarely goal-laden, with the Gers' 4-1 victory at the tail-end of last season a one-off in recent years.
Nine of the Glasgow rivals’ last 12 meetings have seen under 2.5 goals, with both teams to score ‘no’ landing in 13 of the last 18.
With that in mind, the general 10/11 price about UNDER 2.5 GOALS feels too good to miss, so too the 5/4 available on BTTS ‘NO’.
In a league that is traditionally a two-horse race between two of the fiercest rivals in club football, it is no surprise that this derby is so often settled by the odd goal.
Expect Sunday to be no different, especially if, as on Thursday, a disrupted Rangers are forced to rely on defensive solidity first and foremost for reasons beyond their control.
Rangers v Celtic best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Under 2.5 Goals at 10/11 (General)
- 1pt Both Teams To Score 'No' at 5/4 (BetVictor)
Score prediction: Rangers 0-1 Celtic (Sky Bet odds: 8/1)
Odds correct at 1430 BST (27/08/21)
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