Rangers and Celtic meet in the Scottish League Cup yet again in an exciting Old Firm derby. Both teams are on a long winning streak, and they will give it all they have to beat their rivals. Celtic is leading by nine points in the league, but this is a cup game, and anyone can win.
Rangers have been a different team since returning from the World Cup break; they are unbeaten in their last 17 matches in all competitions. They are second in the Scottish Premiership, behind their rivals Celtic by nine points. Rangers will be playing Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup quarterfinals. The Gers have beaten Queen of the South, Dundee FC, and Aberdeen on their route to the final.
Celtic have been playing great all season long, and they are first in the Scottish Premiership with nine points clear of Rangers. Celtic will be playing against Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Cup quarterfinals. Kyogo Furuhashi is having an outstanding season with 19 goals scored. The Celts have beaten Ross County, Motherwell, and Kilmarnock on their way to the final.
| Tournament: | Scottish League Cup 2023 Final |
| Venue: | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Date: | 3 p.m. GMT on Sunday, 26 February 2023 |
According to the best football bookies, Celtic is the favorite at 2.20 (6/5). A draw is offered at 3.50 (5/2), while Rangers are the underdog at 3.50 (5/2) to beat the Celts in the derby.
The odds for Rangers to lift the trophy are at 2.40 (7/5), while Celtic is at 1.55 (11/20).
The Gers have been performing better after the World Cup break, and they are on a 17-match unbeaten streak. Rangers are also unbeaten in the new year, with nine wins and one draw, while the European campaign was unsuccessful. They are coming off a 3-0 win over Livingston away, where James Tavernier had a brace, and Kemar Roofe had a goal in that game.
The Celts have the exact same record as the Rangers in the new year; they are unbeaten with nine wins and one draw. After a failure at the group stage of the Champions League, Celtic is on a 14-match unbeaten streak. They are coming off a perfect 4-0 win over Aberdeen in their last game. Reo Hatate had a brace, and Callum McGregor and Liel Abada each had a goal.
The derby has been pretty much neck and neck in the last few years. In their last 10 head-to-head matches, the Rangers have won four, drawn three times, and the Celts have won three. They have already played twice in the league this season, with Celtic winning 4-0 in the first match and drawing 2-2 in the second. Taking into account the latest trends in this contest, the bet on Rangers looks a bit riskier at the moment.
Rangers: WWWWW
Celtic: WWWWW
The Scottish League Cup, now known as the Viaplay Cup, is one of the oldest tournaments in the history of football, and Rangers were the first champions. However, Celtic is the current champion, and they have won the title in five of the last six years.
Rangers are the most successful team in this tournament, they have won it 27 times. The current champion, Celtic, is second on the list of most SPFL titles won, the Celts have won it 20 times.
Obviously, this is a derby and can go either way, but from what we have seen from both teams so far, the Celts will be the better side here. Celtic have scored 13 goals and conceded only six in their last six clashes with Rangers. Celtic always plays well in this Cup, as they have won it five of the last six years.
The best bookies in Scotland have the Celtic as a favorite for a reason: they are more healthy in this game with no major injuries, unlike the Gers. Celtic has also beaten them 4-0 already earlier in the season, and they have gone to the finals here with little to no effort.
Celtic have scored in the first half in six straight matches against the Rangers and in 11 of their last 12 matches in all competitions as well. The Celts are averaging 1.83 goals in the first half in the last six derbies. They are a team that always starts strong and gets an early lead.
Both teams have scored in four of their last five head-to-head matches. It would be rare for the Old-firm derby to be a low-scoring game, both teams are also in good scoring form. Rangers are averaging 2.6 goals in their last five matches, while the Celts are averaging 3.6 in that period. Even though this is a decisive game for the trophy, which usually leads to playing safe at the back, those teams will try to beat the opponent by scoring more.
Rangers have a lot of doubtful players in this game, such as John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, and Scott Arfield. None of Ridvan Yilmaz, John Souttar, or Tom Lawrence will be back for this game.
The Celts have some good news: Aaron Mooy and David Turnbull will be back with the squad for this game. It shows quite better potential for punters to bet on Celtic, even in this regard.
The old-firm derby is one of the world’s most heated and oldest rivalries, and they are always great matches, especially when a trophy is on the line. Make sure you use our 2023 Viaplay Cup final predictions and betting football tips to have more fun watching the game.
