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Despite suffering a 1-4 defeat at home in the first leg, a much-changed Celtic side showed their determination and resilience en route to clinching a 1-0 victory in Germany against VfB Stuttgart. Although they are eliminated from the Europa League playoff round, the result should bolster their confidence ahead of locking horns with Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday lunchtime.
The Old Firm rivals have clashed heads three times already across competitions. Their previous Ibrox tie finished in a stalemate back in August, but the Hoops clinched a 3-1 extra-time win against ten-man Rangers in the League Cup. A 1-3 Parkhead defeat in January led to Wilfried Nancy’s dismissal, and the Bhoys must aim for revenge this weekend to close the gap with the league leaders Hearts in the three-horse title race.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Rangers
Defence
Viljami Sinisalo passed the audition in Europe with flying colours. The Finnish custodian should get the nod over veteran Kasper Schmeichel, who has lately been dreadful in the Celtic goal.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – JANUARY 03: Yang Hyun-Jun of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on January 03, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Julian Araujo did not travel to Germany for the Thursday night fixture. Martin O’Neill must have protected him for Sunday’s early kick-off clash, and the veteran Irishman would hope to have the Mexican available at the right-back spot. Auston Trusty is suspended following his marching order against Hibernian; however, the gaffer should be relieved by Dane Murray’s performance, as the Celts’ academy graduate deserves a nod over Benjamin Arthur, alongside Liam Scales in the heart of the backline. Marcelo Saracchi has impressed on the left, yet this outing demands Kieran Tierney’s experience and excellence both in attack and defence.
Midfield
Arne Engels’ injury leaves a void in the centre of the pitch, but the arrival of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has restored parity, given his flair and finesse as a ‘number 8’. Benjamin Nygren should also be restored for his exquisite scoring ability and all-round traits, and their box-to-box movements would be driven by skipper Callum McGregor, who remains irreplaceable at the base of his ability to orchestrate the tempo as a deep-lying playmaker. Paulo Bernardo and Reo Hatate, who have slipped down the pecking order, might get involved as second-half substitutes.
Attack
Junior Adamu set it up for Luke McCowan against Stuttgart. Still, the manager might rotate them in favour of Tomas Cvancara and Sebastian Tounekti, who have been the preferred choices in their respective ‘number 9’ and left-wing slots. Daizen Maeda is nowhere close to his standards, and the inclusion of Tounekti could see him dropped, with Hyun-jun Yang expected to operate from the right-hand flank.