Viaplay Cup final: Rangers and Celtic ready for Hampden showdown

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 26 February Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app

Celtic and Rangers meet in a showpiece final for the first time since December 2019 when the Glasgow rivals battle for the Viaplay Cup at Hampden on Sunday.

That day four years ago, Celtic had a man sent off and scored the only goal from their only shot on target – from an offside position – on their way to a fourth treble in a row.

Rangers missed a load of big chances, including an Alfredo Morelos penalty.

Just your average theatre by Old Firm derby standards.

Celtic are defending the trophy this time after coming from behind to beat Hibernian in last season’s final.

Manager Ange Postecoglou followed that by winning the title in a debut campaign to remember and Celtic are riding high in the league again with a nine-point lead.

Rangers have not had their hands on this piece of silverware since March 2011, but they did come out on top when the sides last met at the national stadium, fighting back to win April’s Scottish Cup semi-final in extra-time before beating Hearts in the final.

Both teams on hot streaks

Ibrox boss Michael Beale hasn’t lost a match since taking over at Rangers in December – that’s a run of 13 wins and one draw in all competitions.

Celtic, who have lost just one domestic match all season, have mirrored that form exactly since Beale’s appointment.

The reigning Premiership champions’ numbers are more impressive, however, with 44 goals for and six against, while Rangers have hit the net 33 times and let in 13.

The one draw in that sequence came at Ibrox on 2 January, when Celtic scored early and late, with Rangers going in front in between.

The previous league meeting this term was a resounding 4-0 home success at Celtic Park in early September.

Rangers wait for midfield trio

Kyogo Furuhashi fired in the equaliser at Ibrox last month and Celtic’s top scorer, who bagged a brace in last season’s final, is sure to start after shaking off a shoulder injury to feature as a substitute in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Aberdeen.

Aaron Mooy and David Turnbull missed the Dons game but both midfielders are on track to return.

John Lundstram, Malik Tillman and Ryan Jack were absent for Rangers’ 3-0 victory at Livingston, with the former ahead of the other two in the race to be fit.

John Souttar, Tom Lawrence, Steven Davis, Ridvan Yilmaz and Filip Helander remain sidelined.

Big chance for Beale, Postecoglou a proven winner

Ex-QPR boss Beale, who was a coach under Steven Gerrard during the former Liverpool captain’s time in the Rangers dugout, has his first chance to win silverware, with fewer than 40 games under his belt as a manager.

Postecoglou has two A-League titles and a J-League triumph on his CV, along with an Asian Cup with Australia and his double last season.

This will be the 16th Old Firm final in the tournament that started in 1946. Rangers have won nine of the previous tussles, while all bar two of those games were settled by a one-goal margin.

It looks like being another tight contest and it would be a surprise if the teams don’t serve up a big dollop of drama along the way.

Commentator’s notes

Liam McLeod, BBC Sportsound

“There’s nothing like a good challenge.”

The words of the late Walter Smith, speaking on a ticker-tape-strewn Hampden Park pitch in the immediate aftermath of his sixth and final League Cup win as Rangers manager. They had beaten Celtic after extra-time in what was an enthralling showpiece. Despite being in the throes of three titles in a row and being holders, it was Celtic who were favourites having won three of the previous four Old Firm derbies.

Smith’s quote rings just as true today given Michael Beale and his players face the toughest of challenges against a Celtic side that could scarcely be more in the groove.

With the league title looking more and more like a unrealistic objective for Rangers, given Celtic have lost just once in their last 58 league games, the cups represent a chance for Beale to make his mark at Ibrox and if he wins this one, the credit in the bank would be boosted 10-fold.

However, Ange Postecoglu is eyeing up a clean sweep, something that would leave Celtic standing alone and above Rangers in the treble count and the Australian wants to be the man to deliver that historic moment. Few would bet against it.

Rangers were excellent in the last meeting at the start of January at Ibrox, but even that wasn’t enough for victory. That was likely Rangers’ last shot at keeping the title race alive and they missed, they can’t afford to miss at Hampden given the mood the holders are in right now.

Choose your starting XI. It’s up to you how to approach it – you could go for the team you WANT the manager to pick or the one you THINK he will.