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Match Coverage

The players head out amid the roar, Hampden split down the middle with blue and green sections. For the right to face St Mirren in this stadium next month … here we go.

Other Football

Other football: John Brewin is on our minute-by-minute coverage for West Ham vs Newcastle in the EPL; Yara El-Shaboury brings the newest developments from the initial games in the women's top division.

Regarding our coverage, approximately five minutes remain before the start at Hampden!

Match Officials

Nick Walsh is the man in the middle this match. He also refereed last year's Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers plus a European fixture the previous campaign where he showed four dismissals and twelve cautions. Avoid challenging him.

Coaching Perspectives

Danny Röhl: While this is his first Old Firm, the fresh-faced gaffer has stated clearly recently that he's familiar with taking part in other significant derbies during his managerial journey, during his time at Bayern plus his stint at Wednesday.

I recollect when Hansi Flick took over, our following match took place against Dortmund at our stadium. We secured a 4-0 victory. It always provides a lift if you win such a game. As well, in the Championship in the Sheffield derby, I participated there too. I recognize the importance to the supporters. This transcends ordinary football.

The young coach has been praising Martin O'Neill's lengthy tenure at 73.

I have tremendous respect for that type of coaching legacy. I consider it consistently remarkable for a coach when you sustain your career over decades in this industry and you are successful.

I'm merely commencing my professional journey. There's much work remaining to reach that level though the encouraging factor we start at 0-0, separate eras and we'll discover what we can contribute via our selections in this fixture.

I am very excited. I've accumulated certain experiences yet I foresee a big, big one this Sunday. To be involved in this fixture, everything is at stake. Success secures a final place, a loss ends your participation. I believe all factors align for an outstanding match.

Counterpart Perspective

The Celtic manager: The temporary Celtic boss has been reflecting this week concerning his debut match against Rangers two and a half decades past, the famous 6-2 demolition.

Now, repeating that performance could be very challenging, scoring six goals against those opponents. I'd settle for a really lousy 1-0 victory if we managed to secure it. Some lads come up and inform me: 'That was an amazing match', and they weren't even born. They inform me their ancestors and parents were talking about it. It evolved into a decisive encounter for us, not only during that campaign, but probably for continuing on.

The tension for nearly 72 hours prior to the match, and then if you got the result, tremendous relief. And I believe that's exactly the renowned Walter Smith frequently stated similarly, that it was relief more than anything else. However these were magnificent contests truly. It's still a fantastic fixture.

This is a big game for our team. Truthfully, don't hide that reality. It's a semi-final encounter, it's a crucial contest for our side. Any Celtic-Rangers game represents a major event, though especially considering the situation of the past few days, if not recent weeks, absolutely.

Managerial Experience

Two different coaches on the sidelines this afternoon but there's a big gap in derby experience among them. Danny Röhl faces his debut as the Rangers boss while Martin O'Neill gets ready to manage his twenty-eighth.

This match's conclusion could have a major impact on how long O'Neill's second spell as (interim, for now) Celtic boss persists, as Ewan Murray has considered.

They could potentially invest substantial compensation to coax Kieran McKenna from Ipswich. They could take an even bigger gamble involving Robbie Keane. The reigning champions could decide to provide Nicky Hayen from Club Brugge a first taste within British soccer. These constitute chances to varying degrees. More than O'Neill? This is debatable.

First XIs

Celtic (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Sarrachi; McGregor, Engels, Nygren; Maeda, Kenny, Tounekti.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Balikwisha, Yang, Osmand, McCowan, Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Tierney.

Marcelo Sarrachi begins preferred to Kieran Tierney on the left defensive flank. James Forrest is additionally excluded from the starting lineup that defeated Falkirk in midweek.

Rangers FC (3-4-3): Butland; Djiga, Souttar, Cornelius; Tavernier, Diomande, Raskin, Meghoma; Aasgaard, Chermiti, Danilo.

Substitutes: Kelly, Aarons, Fernández, Rothwell, Antman, Moore, Gassama, Curtis, Miovski.

James Tavernier gets the nod instead of Max Aarons on the right, featuring Mohamed Diomande replacing the banned Connor Barron in midfield with Thelo Aasgaard favored to Mikey Moore in offensive positions.

Match Preview

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