The first Old Firm derby of the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season is underway at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, with Rangers hosting Celtic. The match kicked off at 12pm BST on Sunday, August 31, 2025. This early-season showdown carries significant weight, especially for Rangers manager Russell Martin, who is under immense pressure.
Both teams enter the match after disappointing performances in European competition. Rangers suffered a heavy 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League qualifying play-off. Celtic, meanwhile, were eliminated by Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan on penalties after a goalless draw over two legs.
The pressure is mounting on Russell Martin, who is still searching for his first league win as Rangers head coach. A defeat in this Old Firm derby could intensify the scrutiny on his position, especially after the team's failure to qualify for the Champions League. On the other hand, Brendan Rodgers could also feel the heat if Celtic were to lose. Despite their Champions League exit, Celtic have had a strong start to their league campaign, winning all three opening matches without conceding a goal.
In terms of team news, Rangers will be without Dujon Sterling, who is ruled out with an Achilles tendon injury. There were speculations around Nico Raskin's absence from the squad. Martin stated that the squad and team would be picked on what they believed was the best way to win the game and that Raskin was in training. For Celtic, Alistair Johnston, Auston Trusty and Jota are sidelined with injuries. New signings Marcelo Saracchi and Michel-Ange Balikwisha could potentially make their debuts for Celtic.
The projected lineups were: Rangers (4-3-3): Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Djiga, Meghoma; Cameron, Rothwell, Aasgaard; Antman, Danilo, Gassama. Celtic (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Forrest, Maeda, Yang.
Rangers had been unbeaten in the last three meetings against Celtic, including a 3-0 win at Ibrox earlier in 2025. The match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK.
