Rangers v Celtic: The telling stats behind first derby of the season - and the question marks over both sides

In the seasonal arena of Old Firm conflict, striking the first blow offers no guarantee of having your hand raised in triumph at the end of the contest.

Yet while there will be another 34 rounds of fixtures to patch up any wounds suffered at Ibrox on Sunday, there’s no doubt victory would provide a hugely significant psychological advantage to Rangers or Celtic in the embryonic stages of the 2021-22 Premiership title race.

Seizing the early initiative at the expense of your greatest rivals has certainly proved beneficial for both clubs in recent years.

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Following Rangers’ return to the top flight in 2016, Celtic won the opening skirmish between the teams four years in a row and duly went on to retain their status as champions every time.

Rangers defender Connor Goldson celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in the 2-0 win at Celtic Park in the first Old Firm match of last season. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Rangers defender Connor Goldson celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in the 2-0 win at Celtic Park in the first Old Firm match of last season. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Rangers defender Connor Goldson celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in the 2-0 win at Celtic Park in the first Old Firm match of last season. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Last season, it was Rangers who laid down the marker with Connor Goldson’s double in their 2-0 victory at Celtic Park. It provided the platform for Steven Gerrard’s squad to march imperiously to their club’s first title success in a decade.

Telling statistic

In fact, only three times in the last 12 seasons when the Glasgow giants have gone head-to-head for the championship has the team winning the first Old Firm meeting not finished top of the table.

In both the 2005-06 and 2007-08 campaigns, Gordon Strachan’s Celtic recovered from resounding losses against Rangers to take the ultimate prize. Then in 2011-12, a 4-2 win for Ally McCoist’s Rangers at Ibrox was rendered irrelevant amid their descent to insolvency and lower division exile as Celtic claimed the first of their nine-in-a-row sequence.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will experience his first Old Firm fixture at Ibrox on Sunday. (Photo by Steve  Welsh/Getty Images)Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will experience his first Old Firm fixture at Ibrox on Sunday. (Photo by Steve  Welsh/Getty Images)
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will experience his first Old Firm fixture at Ibrox on Sunday. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)

Having ‘stopped the 10’ last season, the onus is now on Gerrard to try and become only the eighth Rangers manager to succeed in retaining the title.

Before the current campaign kicked off, few would have bet against him doing so and adding his name to that select list of William Wilton, Bill Struth, Scot Symon, Jock Wallace, Graeme Souness, Walter Smith and Dick Advocaat.

Changing views

But the last few weeks have altered the perceptions of many observers as Ange Postecoglou’s turbulent start to life as Celtic manager has given way to a free-scoring sequence of results to suggest that the gulf between the teams, measured by a massive 25 points last season, might be bridgeable after all.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will look for his side to maintain their recent dominance of the Old Firm fixture. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will look for his side to maintain their recent dominance of the Old Firm fixture. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will look for his side to maintain their recent dominance of the Old Firm fixture. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

The bookmakers still reckon Rangers are favourites to lift the Premiership trophy, although Celtic’s odds have shortened significantly. For Sunday’s match in isolation, the turf accountants simply can’t make their minds up with similar prices on offer for both teams.

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It’s an indication of the intriguing nature of a game which both teams go into with question marks over them.

For Celtic, the obvious concerns among their supporters will be the vulnerability of a defence which overcame a couple of calamities and rode its luck to see out the 3-2 aggregate victory over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League play-off round tie on Thursday night.

From middle to front, Celtic have been irresistible at times as Postecoglou imprints his identity on the side. Spearheaded by the instant impact of Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi, they have rattled in 25 goals in their last seven matches.

Their pace, intensity and movement has simply been too hot to handle for the likes of Dundee and St Mirren at Celtic Park. But imposing themselves on Rangers at Ibrox is an altogether different challenge, one which the single-minded and so far largely unflappable Postecoglou will certainly embrace.

Areas of concern

Rangers have had their own defensive issues in a difficult start to the campaign, conceding seven goals in their first seven games. Last season, as they broke myriad shut-out records, it took them until their 19th match before they had been breached as many times.

But of just as much concern to Gerrard has been their struggles to replicate the fluency and sharpness which characterised their attacking play for most of 2020-21. Several of his key men, from attacking left-back Borna Barisic to winger Ryan Kent, have been miles off the pace so far.

Rangers showed signs of shaking themselves out of their torpor with some vibrant and inventive football in last Sunday’s 4-2 win at Ross County, although the back door remained ajar too often for Gerrard’s liking.

Since then, the manager and some of his players have been forced into self-isolation by the return of positive Covid-19 tests at the club to add another layer of complication to an already testing build-up to Sunday’s showdown.

Selection issues

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Only when the team sheets are printed just over an hour before the high noon kick-off will we learn just how many of those who missed the Europa League trek to Armenia in midweek will be back to face Celtic.

Among them should be Kemar Roofe, the man who scored twice in Rangers’ 4-1 win in the last meeting of the teams at Ibrox in April. Along with Alfredo Morelos, Joe Aribo and Ianis Hagi, the English forward is capable of posing questions of the Celtic defence they haven’t faced in previous domestic assignments this season.

As always, the midfield confrontation will hold the key to the outcome with Steven Davis and Glen Kamara looking to establish authority and control for Rangers, while Celtic captain Callum McGregor and David Turnbull bid to set the tempo for the visitors.

Rangers will hope to feed off the energy of an exclusively home support at a sold-out Ibrox which will represent a huge test of character for Postecoglou’s men.

Nothing will be decided on Sunday when victory for either side will simply open up a three-point gap between them.

But it is nonetheless a critical battle which could go a long way to determining who wins the war.

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