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The players head out amid the roar, Hampden divided in two with blue and green sections. For the right to face St Mirren FC at this venue in December … it all kicks off.

Other Football

Additional games: John Brewin is on our minute-by-minute coverage for West Ham vs Newcastle in the Premier League; Yara El-Shaboury delivers fresh updates from the day's opening matches in the Women's Super League.

As for us, there's just over five minutes until kick-off at the national stadium!

Referee Information

Nick Walsh will referee today. He previously officiated the 2024 cup final involving Celtic and Rangers plus a European fixture the previous campaign during which he issued four red cards and 12 yellows. Steer clear of confrontation.

Coaching Perspectives

The Rangers manager: While this is his first Old Firm, the fresh-faced gaffer has emphasized in recent days that he's used to participating in other important local clashes in his coaching career, at Bayern Munich plus his stint at Wednesday.

I can remember when Hansi Flick assumed control, our following match took place against Dortmund at our stadium. We won 4-0. It consistently offers motivation when you triumph in such matches. Additionally, in England's second tier during the Steel City derby, I was involved in that as well. I know what it means among the followers. This is more than just a game.

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

I feel a big respect for such a managerial journey. I believe it's always impressive in this profession when you work so long in this industry and achieve success.

I'm only starting out my coaching path. I have a lot of work to do to achieve similar status but the good thing is we commence evenly matched, different generations and let's see what we can bring via our selections in this fixture.

I'm tremendously excited. I've gained some experience though I anticipate an enormous event this Sunday. To be involved in this fixture, the stakes are extremely high. Victory means reaching the final, you lose, you're out. I believe all factors align for a magnificent contest.

Rival Coach

Martin O'Neill: The temporary Celtic boss has been reflecting this week concerning his debut match against Rangers 25 years ago, the famous 6-2 demolition.

Now, repeating that performance might be extremely difficult, scoring six goals against those opponents. I'd settle for a really lousy 1-0 victory if we managed to secure it. Some lads come up and say to me: 'That was a great game', though they weren't alive then. They relate to me their family members discussed it frequently. It transformed into a crucial game for us, not just that season, but likely for future progress.

The anxiety for approximately three days before, and then should you secure success, tremendous relief. And I feel that's precisely the renowned Walter Smith used to say about it as well, that relief outweighed other emotions. However these were magnificent contests genuinely. It continues to be a superb rivalry.

This constitutes a significant fixture for our club. Honestly, don't conceal that fact. It's a last-four clash, it's an important game for us. Every Old Firm match constitutes a significant occasion, though especially considering the conditions of recent times, if not recent weeks, certainly.

Dugout History

Two fresh managers on the sidelines this afternoon yet there's a substantial disparity in derby experience separating them. Danny Röhl is experiencing his first as the Rangers boss while Martin O'Neill gets ready to manage his 28th such match.

Today's result might significantly influence on the duration O'Neill's second spell as (interim, for now) Celtic boss persists, as Ewan Murray has considered.

Celtic could pay £5m in compensation to coax Kieran McKenna away from Ipswich. They may attempt a larger risk involving Robbie Keane. The reigning champions may opt to give Nicky Hayen from Club Brugge an initial experience of British football. These represent risks in different manners. More than O'Neill? This remains questionable.

First XIs

Celtic (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 starts ahead of Kieran Tierney at left-back. James Forrest is also omitted from the first team that defeated Falkirk in their recent match.

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 is selected instead of Max Aarons on the right side, with Mohamed Diomande coming in for the suspended Connor Barron in central areas and Thelo Aasgaard chosen instead of Mikey Moore in offensive positions.

Opening Context

Good afternoon and welcome to this derby match. It should be improved {than last time|compared to the previous meeting|versus