Celtic Vs Rangers [3–1] – Scottish Premiership 2025/2026: An Old Firm Classic Defined By Intensity & Adaptation – Tactical Analysis

Celtic faced off against bitter rivals Rangers on Sunday afternoon, in the most important Old Firm in the Scottish Premiership in quite some years.

Hearts had drawn with Motherwell on Saturday night, meaning that Celtic could not lose this game.

If they had, Hearts could have won the title for the first time since 1960 (and become the first non-Old Firm side to win it since Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen in 1985) with a win at home against Falkirk on Wednesday evening.

Danny Röhl's Rangers had all but conceded the title with a defeat at Tynecastle last Monday, but they were still out to ruin their biggest rivals' chances too.

The two Glasgow clubs had already played each other five times this season (three in the league, once in the League Cup and once in the Scottish Cup).

Things were even as it stood (if you ignore the penalty results), with Celtic and Rangers winning one a piece and drawing the two other games (one of which Celtic won on penalties).

Celtic came into this game having won their last five under club legend Martin O'Neill, finding form at the right time and to spoil any party in Edinburgh.

Key players were finding form at the right time, and the Hoops seemed to have kicked into the sort of gear that has seen them win 11 out of the last 12 league titles.

This was everything you'd expect an Old Firm game to be.

It started off fast-paced and frantic, with both teams going at it.

An early goal caused panic for the Parkhead faithful, but a 10-minute period of frantic energy in the second half saw them get the win they so desperately wanted.

This tactical analysis focuses on the high-pressure, high-energy atmosphere that shaped the early exchanges and on Celtic's ability to overwhelm their rivals in the second half, culminating in one of the best derby-day goals you'll ever see.

Celtic Vs Rangers Lineups & Formations

Celtic Lineup Vs Rangers

Martin O'Neill decided to make just one change from their 2-1 win away at Hibernian the week before, and it turned out to be a key one.

He remained with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Viljami Sinisalo kept his place in goal, with the back four of Alistair Johnston, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney remaining in front of him.

Arne Engels was preferred over Reo Hatate in the midfield double pivot alongside captain Callum McGregor.

Luke McCowan came in for Sebastian Tounetki and started on the right wing, shifting Yang Hyun-jun out to the left, with top scorer Benjamin Nygren keeping his place behind striker Daizen Maeda.

O'Neill used all five of his substitutions, bringing on Tounetki for McCowan at half-time, Hatate for Nygren on 76', and freshening things up with Anthony Ralston, Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi coming on in like-for-like replacements with 10 minutes to go.

Rangers Lineup Vs Celtic

Röhl made three changes from the side that had worse fortunes on the other side of Edinburgh last week, again in a 4-2-3-1.

Jack Butland remained in goals, with Tuur Rommens replacing Dujon Sterling at left-back, joining James Tavernier, Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Djiga.

Connor Barron came into the double pivot alongside Tochi Chukwuani, replacing Nicolas Raskin.

Newly elected PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year Mikey Moore started on the left, Oliver Antman replaced Andreas Skov Olsen and Mohamed Diomande kept his place in the #10.

Youssef Chermiti kept his place up front.

Rangers kept their powder dry until the hour mark, when Sterling, Thelo Aasgaard and Djeidi Gassama came on for Tavernier, Diomande and Antman.

Striker Bojan Miovski came on for a midfielder with 15 minutes to go as they chased the game.

A Fast & Frantic Start

The Old Firm has a reputation as one of the fieriest games in world football, and this one started off like a house on fire.

The start was chaotic, as both teams looked to press high early on to gain an advantage over their opponents.

Rangers were the better team in the first exchanges, looking every bit the team that had come to spoil the party, with no real pressure on them in terms of challenging for the league.

Celtic looked the opposite.

They were rushed, turning the ball over in dangerous areas and unable to settle.

It took nine minutes for Rangers to take the lead.

McCowan has possession in his own half but is surrounded by three players, and all his passing lanes have been blocked.

It forces him to try to dribble his way out of trouble, moving centrally to where the space was, looking to hopefully switch the play out to the other wing.

Instead, he stumbles over the ball, and Rangers suddenly have possession in a dangerous area, with Celtic not set up in any sort of defensive structure.

Trusty has been dragged out wide, and you can see the vast amount of space between him and centre-back partner Scales.

Chermiti receives the pass, and Trusty overcommits when trying to get back towards the ball.

A nice shift of the ball with his right foot leaves him in this position.

He toe pokes a shot into the defender, and it drops nicely for Moore to tap the ball in on nine minutes.

This goal seemed to have a positive influence on Celtic's approach to the game.

It dropped Rangers deeper and brushed off any pre-match jitters for Celtic.

Shortly after the goal, they created a 1v1 for Maeda, who got his shot all wrong and put it wide.

Then, with 23 minutes gone, Celtic found their quality.

We can see Rangers sitting deep here, with five players in their own box.

McCowan receives the ball out wide, and Celtic start to flood the box with numbers.

Instead of playing the in-swinging cross, he plays a lovely reverse pass into the feet of Engels, who is one of the runners.