Key events
As for Celtic, Brendan Rodgers is back on the bench after his touchline ban for criticising a ref â the same ref who takes charge of todayâs game â which Iâd have considered extending it for the way he spoke to a reporter. He names an unchanged side with skipper Callum McGregor only fit enough for the bench.
So what does it all mean? Well Rangers make two changes, Dujon Sterling in for Borna Barisic at left-back and Tom Lawrence replacing Todd Cantwell in midfield. Those look defensive-ish changes to me, but we shall see.
Teams!
Rangers (4-2-3-1): Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Sterling; Diomande, Lundstram; Wright, Lawrence, Silva; Dessers. Subs: McCrorie, Cantwell, Matondo, Sima, Dowell, Balogun, Barisic, King, McCausland.
Celtic: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; OâRiley, Iwata, Hatate; Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda. Subs: Bain, Idah, Yang, Nawrocki, Bernardo, McGregor, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh.
Preamble
Football is a global phenomenon, its unique light enveloping the planet as disparate peoples come together, transfixed by the hypnotic beauty of the beautiful game. Aye right, and then thereâs Rangers v Celtic.
Because for all the patter â touching stories from here and social commentary from there â some things cant be intellectualised and sentimentalised, not even by the Guardian, and when it comes down to it, the Old Firm rammy stands alone.
But even in that context, todayâs match is special, a howling, screeching, whirling Glesga of a match. Celtic, going for a third straight title and a 12th out of 13, lead the table by a point and will consider themselves favourites. But Rangers have a game in hand, home advantage, and the confidence that they are well-placed in the closes race for years â one many thought would already be over.
Which is is to say the teams arrive at Ibrox Stadium under all sorts of pressure and managing all sorts of expectations, the madness of the world transmogrified via the medium of interpretive soccer. This is going to be intense.
Kick-off: 12pm BST
