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The players head out into the noise, Hampden Park divided in two between blue and green. To earn the chance to face St Mirren FC here in December … the action begins.

Additional Fixtures

Additional games: John Brewin is on our minute-by-minute coverage for West Ham v Newcastle in England's top flight; Yara El-Shaboury has all the latest from the day's opening matches in the women's top division.

Turning to this match, approximately five minutes remain before the start at the national stadium!

Match Officials

Nick Walsh takes charge today. He was also the referee for the 2024 Scottish Cup final featuring these two rivals plus a European fixture last season when he distributed four dismissals and a dozen bookings. Steer clear of confrontation.

Coaching Perspectives

The Rangers manager: While this is his first Old Firm, the new Rangers manager has stated clearly recently that he's accustomed to being involved in other important local clashes in his coaching career, at Bayern Munich and Sheffield Wednesday.

I recall when Hansi Flick took over, our second game was at home against Dortmund. We triumphed 4-0. It consistently offers motivation when you triumph in such matches. As well, in the Championship during the Steel City derby, I was also part [of it] there. I understand the significance among the followers. This transcends ordinary football.

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

I hold great admiration 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 achieve success.

I'm only starting out my coaching path. I have a lot of work to do to come to this point though the encouraging factor we start at 0-0, separate eras and let's see what we can contribute via our selections in this encounter.

I am very excited. I have had some experience but I expect an enormous event this Sunday. To be part of such a game, it's all or nothing. Success secures a final place, defeat means elimination. I believe all factors align for an outstanding match.

Counterpart Perspective

Martin O'Neill: The stand-in manager has this week been reminiscing concerning his debut match with Rangers two and a half decades past, the 6-2 'Demolition Derby'.

Now, repeating that performance might be extremely difficult, putting six past them against that side. I'd settle for an unattractive 1-0 win if we managed to secure it. Some lads come up and say to me: 'That was an amazing match', and they weren't even born. They tell me their ancestors and parents discussed it frequently. It evolved into a decisive encounter for us, not merely in that term, but probably for continuing on.

The nervousness for about 72 hours prior to the match, and then should you secure success, a great relief. And I think that's what the renowned Walter Smith used to say about it as well, that relief outweighed other emotions. But they were fantastic fixtures genuinely. It's still a fantastic fixture.

This is a big game for our club. Honestly, don't conceal that fact. It's a semi-final encounter, it's a big match for our squad. Any Celtic-Rangers game constitutes a significant occasion, though especially considering the situation of the past few days, if not weeks, absolutely.

Managerial Experience

Two different coaches on the sidelines this afternoon yet there's a substantial disparity in rivalry knowledge separating them. Danny Röhl faces his debut as the Rangers boss while Martin O'Neill is about to take charge of his 28th.

Today's result might significantly influence regarding the tenure O'Neill's second spell as stand-in Celtic coach persists, as Ewan Murray has been pondering.

The club might spend £5m in compensation to coax Kieran McKenna from Ipswich. They might consider a larger risk involving Robbie Keane. The Scottish champions might choose to offer Club Brugge's Nicky Hayen a first taste of British football. These represent risks in different manners. Even more than O'Neill? This is arguable.

First XIs

Celtic FC (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 in the left-back position. James Forrest also drops out from the starting lineup that defeated Falkirk in their recent match.

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 receives preference ahead of Max Aarons on the right side, featuring Mohamed Diomande replacing the banned Connor Barron in central areas with Thelo Aasgaard favored to Mikey Moore in forward roles.

Opening Context

Greetings and welcome to this derby match. It ought to be superior {than last time|compared to the previous meeting|versus