The last time the Old Firm met in the Scottish Premiership, Brendan Rodgers was Celtic’s manager and Russell Martin was Rangers’ manager.
Fast forward to the latest installment of this rivalry and there are two new faces on the touchline as Wilfried Nancy and Danny Rolle prepare for a head-to-head.
However, for the first time since the 1993/94 season, neither club was able to reach the top of Scottish football. Instead, Hearts led the Hoops by three points, with Rangers a further three points behind their rivals.
Saturday, January 3rd 11:30am
12:30pm kickoff
Celtic fans’ patience with Nancy is fast running out after losing four of their six league games since caretaker manager Martin O’Neill took over a month ago.
Meanwhile, at Ibrox, Roll’s Rangers are no fun to watch, but they continue to produce results. Out of 11 Premiership games, Rangers have won eight and drawn two, losing to leaders Hearts.
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Chris Sutton reacts to Wilfried Nancy’s 7-minute press conference speech
As this unpredictable season brings yet another unpredictable fixture, here’s what Sky Sports’ Chris Sutton and Chris Boyd have to say when their former clubs meet…
Sutton: Nancy’s Hero, or Zero after the Old Firm
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Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy launched his first seven minutes of passionate defending at Parkhead.
Celtic went into Saturday’s game having lost 2-0 at Motherwell, meaning Nancy’s side missed out on the chance to move level on points with leaders Hearts once again.
Having lost four of their first four games, the Frenchman led the club to a winning streak by Christmas. However, defeat at Fir Park means rivals Rangers are within striking distance and could level on points with a win at Celtic Park.
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The last time the Old Firm faced each other in the league, Russell Martin and Brendan Rodgers were managers.
“When you think about Wilfred Nancy, this game is heroes or nothing,” Sutton said. “There are still Celtic fans who are not convinced by him at all.
“But if he wins, we’ll say, ‘We believe in Wilf.’ If he loses, we’ll say, ‘He’s no good, get rid of him.’
“Wilf Ball will remain here and he will play like that. Celtic will be vulnerable at times. I just think it’s impossible to call.”
Celtic have built a very high defensive line under Wilfried Nancy, placing their wing-backs furthest forward and leaving on average only one centre-back in their own half.
“Rangers will be disciplined against Celtic and just looking to get in the back of Celtic,” he added in the warm-up.
“I have no idea what’s going to happen on Saturday. It’s possible that Celtic play for 30 minutes and win 4-1, but on the other hand it’s also possible that Rangers go there and put in a decent rearguard performance and catch Celtic on the break.”
“We went through a couple of years where we knew Celtic were going to win and that was going to be the cricket score. Now both clubs have changed managers and are trying to find a style and a way of playing, so I think that’s really attractive.”
Boyd: Rangers not in title contention | Boyd Sutton: Yes, that’s right!
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Danny Rolle talks about the team in the title race and their next encounter with Celtic
Rangers have picked up more points than any other team in the Scottish Premiership since Rolle took over in October.
Tuesday’s win over St Mirren, with leaders Hearts not playing and Celtic losing at Motherwell, has some fans believing they remain firmly in the title race.
Rangers have picked up more points than any other club since Danny Rolle took over at Ibrox.
But Boyd wasn’t so convinced, saying: “If you look at Rangers, the problem I have with the story about the title race is that I still see Hearts and Celtic winning more games than them.”
“So I don’t think there’s a way to go back.”
But Sutton disagreed, adding: “Rangers are still in the title race. I know you keep ignoring them, but nobody knows what Danny Rolle is up to in January. Rangers are by no means out of the title race.”
“The other reason why Rangers are still in the title race, and why they’ve never been out of the title race, is because this season is different from previous seasons and everyone expects Celtic to win 14 games in a row.”
“We all see Celtic dropping points, we all see Hearts dropping points.”
