Scottish Cup final has clear Celtic-Rangers bias and loser will face long summer of pain

Hampden has been a busy old place this week. Usually reserved solely for Scottish Cup build-up, the culminating fixture of the season has been forced to share the stage with Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad announcement.

The national stadium was booked out for Scotland duties on Wednesday, and then 24 hours later Celtic and Rangers took over the livery. Not much can eclipse an Old Firm final but Steve Clarke’s 28-man selection pushed the iconic fixture into touch – temporarily at least. But at 3pm on Saturday, match referee Nick Walsh will get the fifth and final chapter of this season’s Glasgow tome under way. Make no mistake, this is a huge match.

Quite remarkably, this is the first Celtic-Rangers Scottish Cup final for 22 years. Such a wait is not common. Back on a sun-kissed day in 2002, Peter Lovenkrands scored twice as Rangers prevailed 3-2 in an iconic Hampden clash. His 90th-minute winner settled a rollercoaster encounter in which John Hartson, Bobo Balde and Barry Ferguson also troubled the scoresheet. Take a look at the starting line-ups from that day and both clubs were undoubtedly stronger versions of their current selves.

Celtic have not lost to Rangers this season and there is expectation of completing a league and cup double.

That should not detract from this occasion. Both teams have one domestic piece of silverware between them from the 2023/24 campaign. Rangers won the League Cup with a narrow win over Aberdeen back in December. Celtic landed the Premiership title with a match to spare last week after the Ibrox club roused themselves in the league to create a veritable title race. This has been a hugely competitive season.

Rangers – and in particular their manager Philippe Clement – deserve immense credit for their renaissance. Back in October, when the club was floundering post-Michael Beale, there was significant concern about a sizeable gap between them and Celtic. The Belgian has trimmed the difference between them. Rangers are undoubtedly in a much better place than they were under Beale with a far more astute manager. They laid down the gauntlet to Celtic at the turn of the year, but faced a backlash from Brendan Rodgers and Co. They found an extra gear when needed and pulled away at the finishing line.

No so long ago, pundits were talking Rangers up for a treble. Now it’s all about a Celtic double. The Parkhead outfit are warm favourites to win on Saturday afternoon, odds-on with most bookmakers. Rodgers and Celtic have both faced their problems this term. The manager’s commitment and tactics have been questioned. There has been unrest in the stadium. Injuries to key players such as captain Callum McGregor, midfielder Reo Hatate and defensive cheat code Cameron Carter-Vickers have weakened the team. That trio is now fit and firing. The Celtic team now largely picks itself. Rodgers is back to being flavour of the month. All of those elements make them worthy of their status as winners-in-waiting.

Rodgers is also a man for this specific fixture. The Northern Irishman has only lost once to Rangers across two spells in charge. By his own admission, he wakes up in the morning for the Old Firm derby. Celtic can take enormous heart from their record against Rangers this season: three wins, one draw. Even at their lowest ebb, Celtic have not been toppled by their bitter rivals. That will surely play a part at Hampden. It’s not just the quality on the pitch but the mentality off it. Celtic prepare for this fixture expecting to win. For Rangers – and particularly in this encounter – they are hoping.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and his team found an extra gear during the title race.

Injuries have dealt Clement a cruel hand. Central defender Connor Goldson is all but ruled out. John Souttar and Leon Balogun, if either starts alongside Ben Davies, will not be fully fit. Left-back is a huge concern, with doubts over Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz. Further up the pitch, Clement’s most dangerous forward in Abdallah Sima only returned last week and may only have enough in the tank to be a substitute. The Ibrox club’s form is not what it was even a month ago. Confidence has drained from the team.

At least John Lundstram is back. The midfielder was stupid in lunging in on Alistair Johnston in the last derby and was rightly sent off, just minutes after scoring an own goal. Some supporters now don’t want him in the team but don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. The Liverpudlian has been strong under Clement and while this is likely to be his last match for Rangers given he is out of contract, he will give everything for the team. His experience and physicality is a must beside Mohamed Diomande. Dujon Sterling could also be added to the mix, given his athleticism. A wide player by trade, he has shown aptitude in midfield. Clement must find a way to stop McGregor, Hatate and Matt O’Riley having the run of midfield.

Celtic, too, have their own farewell show. Decorated goalkeeper Joe Hart will hang up the gloves at the age of 37 after this match. He has been an excellent servant to the club across three seasons and has rejuvenated a regressing career. It will be an emotional day for the ex-England No 1. His last trip to Hampden, against Aberdeen last month, resulted in him missing a penalty in the shoot-out, before then making a decisive save. Like his Rangers counterpart Jack Butland, he will no doubt have a huge part to play.

Rangers will need to rely on Cyriel Dessers, an often much-maligned figure in attack. Despite this, he has scored 22 goals this season – only one of which has come from the penalty spot. The Nigerian is nowhere near as bad as some fans and pundits make out. He scored in this fixture earlier this month at Celtic Park and while he does not have the composure of Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi, he leads the line well and has the mentality to shine in such a fixture. Rangers will pin their aspirations on him.

Rangers John Lundstram was sent off against Celtic two weeks ago but is available for selection at Hampden.

Furuhashi is one of several matchwinners in this Celtic team, though. O’Riley is back to the boil and wingers James Forrest and Daizen Maeda have the pace to give Tavernier and Co a hard time out wide. It is for this reason that they go in with a strong favourites tag. Rodgers spoke earlier in the week of being “assured” going into this fixture – and why wouldn’t he, given his own record and the formbook from this season. This feels like Celtic’s Scottish Cup to lose.

They will have to work for it. Whatever stains are put on Rangers’ quality, their character and bravery cannot be questioned. Just look at how they fought down 2-0 and a man at Celtic Park just a few weeks ago. And if Celtic are not at their best, that specific trait could act as a leveller. Clement’s teams are certainly resilient.

Defeat for either will have consequences. Celtic’s league title would be tarnished, but for Rangers the cuts would run deeper. Clement would go into next season still searching for an Old Firm win, still trailing Celtic in most parameters and not far from facing pressure from a demanding fanbase. And in the storied history of both clubs, a Celtic win draws them level with Rangers on 118 major pieces of silverware. As always on such occasions, there is so much to play for.