Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026
Trivia
- KO: 12:00, Sunday; Sky TV; League Match 4
- First meeting between the two this season.
- Celtic on 10pts joint top with Hearts, but Celtic ahead on -6GD v Hearts -4GD; Sevco in 7th on 4pts after 4 draws! Aberdeen bottom after 3 games and ZERO pts.
- Both sides had been humiliatingly dumped out of the Champions League this past week. Aberdeen & Hibs followed in their comps.
- Debut for Balikwisha and Marcelo Saracchi
- Marcelo Saracchi, has joined Celtic on a season-long loan from Boca Juniors, subject to international clearance.
- Mitchel Frame signs for Aberdeen for six figure settlement.
- Conall Glancy is the latest player to leave the Celtic Academy to join an EPL club, in this case Spurs. The 16-year-old has spent a decade with Celtic but has opted to turn professional at Spurs rather than continue his career in Scotland.
- Frustrated Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has not closed the door on leaving in the near future amid links with a potential switch to Nottingham Forest.
- Celtic are the 21st biggest club on the planet, according to an in-depth report from this week’s edition of France Football. They’re the only Scottish club in the top 30.
- Ex-Celt Oh being solde tto VfB Stuttgart for €28m just a year after leaving Celtic for €5m!
- Transfer window closes next day (1st Sep)
- Reports:
- Aberdeen set to sign teenage Celtic left-back Mitchel Frame on 4yr deal.
- Bid to sign Tunisia international winger Sebastian Tounekti rejected. £4m bid put in, after £3m rejected.
- Celtic are looking to put new signing Hayato Inamura out on loan ahead of the transfer deadline.The Hoops have now alerted clubs on TransferRoom the 23-year-old is available for loan and are looking for his wages to be covered.
- Birmingham in reported late move for Yang.
- Adam Idah to Swansea report on perm or loan. Adam Idah completed a medical and agreed personal terms pending a £7m switch to Swansea City, but Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers demanded he return until a replacement is signed.
- Inamura to go out on loan?
- Maeda to Brentford?
- Anderlecht’s Kasper Dolberg target for Celtic.
- Missed out on rumoured target Calvin Stengs, with the Dutch midfielder confirming a move to Pisa yesterday.
- Birmingham City have offered about £1.5m for 23-year-old Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun.
- Adam Idah is in Wales undergoing the second part of his medical ahead of a £7m move to Swansea City.The Ireland international travelled last night.SkySportsNews understands the clubs agreed an initial fee of £6m, plus more than £1m in add-ons.
- Birmingham City are waiting on Celtic to green-light a move for winger Hyunjun Yang.Talks have brought initial fee up to around £3m, with add-ons still to be ironed out.If move gets sanctioned, Yang could travel to Birmingham tonight.
- Transfers in: Kieran Tierney (free from Arsenal, 27 May 2025); Ross Doohan signed on a three-year deal. Isaac English from Morton; Benjamin Nygren undisclosed fee from Nordsjaelland (est €1.5/£1.3m); Callum Osmand development fee from Fulham; Hayato Inamura from Albirex Niigata fee £~250k; Shin Yamada est £1.2m from Kawasaki Frontal; Jahmai Simpson-Pusey from Man City, 1 year loan (no purchase option); Marcelo Saracchi on loan from Boca Jrs;
- Transfers out: Scott Bain released on a free, moved to Falkirk; Daniel Cummings (£300k, pre-contract signed last Jan with West Ham); Joey Dawson (free to Scunthorpe); Matt Anderson to KV Kortrijk (Belgium, Free); Maik Nawrocki year loan deal to German side Hannover 96 with purchase clause; Lagerbielke to Braga (est up to £2.7m with 10% sell on clause); Lenny Agbaire to Rotherham (free); Luis Palma to Lech Poznan on loan with purchase option; Kyle Ure to Ayr Utd on loan; Ben McPherson season-long loan move to Partick Thistle; Mitchel Frame signs for Aberdeen for est £250k;
Summary
Joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki:
One for which I’ll take the result but certainly not the performance.
An admittedly poor quality match between two sides who entered the match on very low points after humiliation in Europe. Sevcos’s John Souttar thumped header into the Celtic net, only for VAR to rule it offside, so Celtic got out of jail. Celtic were not at the races until the second half but really didn’t make enough of the rare chances. One to file away and leave best at that.
Brendan Rodgers:
“I didn’t think it was a good game at all. Positive for us, we’ve defended well in the main at the start of the season, been very resolute.
“We didn’t have any shots on goal against us. But our offensive game is nowhere near the level I’d like it to be at. It was a game that lacked quality.
On why his team are struggling in their attacking play: “We’ve lost players that connected the game for us. When you go through a spell of games you’re not scoring, it can affect the other guys and they don’t quite make the forward pass and they make the safe pass.
“That creativity has come out the team and we need to find those connections again. I’m very confident we will improve. We have to. That’s not the Celtic way of playing.”
On dips of form for Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda: “Competition is your best coach at times, we need to find that. Sometimes you need that stimulus of competition.”
Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland · 3h Diabolical game between two stinking rotten teams, they could’ve got football shut down after that, rancid. Predictably tragic stuff again from Celtic, Rangers have conceded about 150 shots in the first 10 games of 25-26 & Celtic rock up & go through a full half of football without managing to muster one, first time they’ve managed that in about seven years. Slow, laborious and boring.
E-Tims @ETimsNet · 24m Our game dire today. Bereft of quality. Watching Liverpool and Arsenal. Two teams filled with top quality players costing 100s of £Ms and yet it’s slow paced and negative. Modern fitba can be rubbish some times.
Highland__Paddy @Highland__paddy · 3h One team who played for set pieces and long throw ins against a team with no focal point up front . A draw was always on the cards after midweek. Every cross ball , punt , corner or throw in from rangers found Scales. Uncanny accuracy. Captain sets the tone for the team , sits far too deep . When he was dispossessed near the end of the game , it summed up his awareness of what was surrounding him. Badly needs taken out of the team.
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
01 K. Schmeichel
63 K. Tierney, subbed for M. Saracchi at 72mins
05 L. Scales
20 C. Carter-Vickers
56 A. Ralston
41 R. Hatate, subbed for L. McCowan at 88mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain
27 A. Engels, subbed for S. Yamada at 65mins
10 M. Balikwisha, subbed for J. Forrest at 65mins
38 D. Maeda
08 B. Nygren
Subs:
51 C. Donovan
49 J. Forrest
28 Paulo Bernardo
14 L. McCowan
47 D. Murray
36 M. Saracchi
12 V. Sinisalo
18 S. Yamada
13 Yang Hyun-Jun
TheRangers
Manager: Russell Martin
Formation: 4 – 2 – 3 – 1
01 J. Butland
30 J. Meghoma
05 J. Souttar
24 N. Djiga 88′, Yellow Card at 88mins
02 J. Tavernier (c), Captain
10 M. Diomandé 67′, Yellow Card at 67mins
08 C. Barron, subbed for J. Rothwell at 82mins
47 M. Moore 63′, Yellow Card at 63mins, subbed for O. Antman at 72mins
11 T. Aasgaard, subbed for N. Bajrami at 76mins
23 D. Gassama, subbed for F. Curtis at 82mins
28 B. Miovski, subbed for C. Dessers at 72mins
Subs:
03 M. Aarons
18 O. Antman
14 N. Bajrami
52 F. Curtis
09 C. Dessers
37 E. Fernandez
31 L. Kelly
99 Danilo
06 J. Rothwell
Referee Don Robertson
Video Assistant Referee Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referee 1 Daniel McFarlane
Assistant Referee 2 Chris Rae
Fourth Official David Dickinson
Assistant VAR Official Calum Scott
Venue:Ibrox Stadium
Attendance:50,013
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
- Prior
- Match
- Post
- MoTM
Stats
Overall possession
Rangers 41.3% Celtic 58.7%
Shots
Rangers 4 Celtic 5
Shots
Shots on target
Rangers 0 Celtic 2
Shots on target
Total touches inside the opposition box
Rangers 11 Celtic 11
Goalkeeper saves
Rangers 2 Celtic 0
Goalkeeper saves
Fouls committed
Rangers 17 Celtic 17
Fouls committed
Corners
Rangers 8 Celtic 1
Corners
In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Rangers 4 Celtic 5
Shots
Shots on target
Rangers 0 Celtic 2
Shots on target
Shots off target
Rangers 2 Celtic 2
Shots off target
Attempts out of box
Rangers 2 Celtic 4
Attempts out of box
Total offsides
Rangers 2 Celtic 0
Total offsides
Distribution
Total passes
Rangers 343 Celtic 508
Total passes
Pass accuracy %
Rangers 72 Celtic 82.1
Pass accuracy %
Backward passes
Rangers 63 Celtic 92
Backward passes
Forward passes
Rangers 128 Celtic 160
Forward passes
Total long balls
Rangers 48 Celtic 56
Total long balls
Successful final third passes
Rangers 35 Celtic 45
Successful final third passes
Total crosses
Rangers 21 Celtic 11
Total crosses
Defence
Total tackles
Rangers 20 Celtic 22
Total tackles
Won tackle %
Rangers 60 Celtic 63.6
Won tackle %
Fouls committed
Rangers 17 Celtic 17
Fouls committed
Total yellow cards
Rangers 3 Celtic 0
Total yellow cards
Total clearances
Rangers 19 Celtic 60
Total clearances
Pre match stats
Rangers are unbeaten in three league meetings with Celtic, winning two of them (D1), more than their previous 12 beforehand (W1 D3 L8).
Celtic have only won two of their last 11 away games against Rangers across all competitions (D3 L6), winning 2-1 in April 2022 and 1-0 in September 2023.
Celtic have won the first league Old Firm derby of a season in seven of the last nine campaigns, the only exceptions coming in 2020-21 (0-2 defeat) and 2021-22 (0-1 defeat).
Rangers have drawn all three of their league games so far this season; on only three occasions have they ever failed to win each of their opening four matches of a league campaign, doing so in 1964-65, 1978-79, and 1983-84. On all three instances, this included a defeat to Celtic.
Having won all three of their league games so far this season by an aggregate score of 6-0, Celtic could win each of their opening four matches of a league campaign without conceding for the fourth time, after 1906-07, 2010-11, and 2024-25.
Rangers have drawn seven of their last nine league games (W2), including each of their last four in a row. Only in September 1976, May 1984, and March 2015 have the Gers ever drawn five successive league fixtures, while they could go five top-flight matches in a row without a win for the first time since December 2005.
Of Rangers managers to face Celtic in the league, only two of the last 12 have won their first league Old Firm derby in charge of the club (D4 L6), Ally McCoist winning 4-2 in September 2011 and Barry Ferguson winning 3-2 in March last season.
Benjamin Nygren has the most goal involvements of any player in the Scottish Premiership this season so far (4), scoring (3) or assisting (1) 67% of Celtic’s league goals in 2025-26. Nygren also leads all players in the competition for chances created (12) and expected assists (1.64), and is second for both shots (10) and non-penalty expected goals (1.58).
Articles
Stalemate at Ibrox in first derby clash of the season
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/august/31/stalemate-at-ibrox-in-first-derby-clash-of-the-season/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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31 Aug 2025, 2:12 pm
Scottish Premiership
Sunday, August 31, 2025
Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow
RANGERS… 0
CELTIC… 0
Celtic maintained their unbeaten start to the Premiership campaign with a 0-0 draw against Rangers at Ibrox.
It was a match of few chances for either side, with the Hoops delivering another clean sheet and taking the point which puts them top of the table again, ahead of Hearts on goal difference.
The match saw Michel-Ange Balikwisa make his debut just a couple of days after signing from Royal Antwerp, and the Belgian forward took his place on the left of a three-man attack, with Benjamin Nygren on the right flank and Daizen Maeda through the middle.
While the home side had a number of corners in the first 45 minutes, the Celtic defence dealt well with the danger, although they were also thankful for VAR just before the half-hour mark which ruled out John Souttar’s goal for offside.
41%
Possession
59%
4
Shots
5
0
Shots On Target
2
8
Corners
1
17
Fouls
17
3
0
Cards
0
0
Celtic looked livelier after the break and Nygren had an effort on 54 minutes, although it went high and wide.
And then Reo Hatate had the Hoops’ first effort on target in the 60th minute, but his low effort from the edge of the box was comfortably saved by Jack Butland.
Four minutes later, as Brendan Rodgers’ side tried to exert more pressure, Kieran Tierney tried his luck with an overhead kick from 15 yards out after the ball wasn’t cleared from a corner but, again, it was saved by the Rangers keeper.
In truth, it was a game of attrition, with neither side able to carve out any clear-cut chances, and both will take a point from the first Glasgow derby of the season, going into the international break.
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Djiga, Souttar, Meghoma, Barron (Rothwell 82′), Diomande, Gassama (Curtis 82′), Aasgaard (Bajrami 76′), Moore (Antman 72′), Miovski (Dessers 72′)
Subs: Aarons, Rothwell, Dessers, Bajrami, Antman, Kelly, Fernandez, Curtis, Danilo
Celtic: Schmeichel, Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney (Saracchi 72′), Engels (Yamada 65′), McGregor, Hatate (McCowan 88′), Nygren, Maeda, Balikwisha (Forrest 65′)
Subs: Sinisalo, Hyunjun Yang, McCowan, Yamada, Paulo Bernardo, Saracchi, Murray, Forrest, Donovan
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c3ezk2d3e1wt#Report
Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Ibrox
Rangers’ winless Scottish Premiership start to the season continued in a spirited but goalless Old Firm stalemate with blunt Celtic.
This was a nervy, error-strewn derby between two sides who failed to produce any genuine moments of quality, with howls of home frustration greeting a video assistant referee (VAR) decision to rule out John Souttar’s first-half header for the hosts.
What the match lacked in panache it made up for in energy and endeavour. How Ibrox screamed for an early penalty when visiting defender Liam Scales appeared to barge into Rangers’ debut boy Bojan Miovski. The only nonchalant figure in the ground, referee Don Roberston, was unmoved.
While the majority of the pressure pre-match was on under-fire Rangers head coach Russell Martin, it was another flat, limp, toothless first 45 from Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic who couldn’t even register a shot, never mind a shot on target.
The home side avoided the silly mistakes that have scarred some of their performances so far this season, and that was enough to contain their toothless opponents.
Not making a mistake is a fairly low bar, but Rangers are taking baby steps at the moment under new ownership and new management.
Sensing the Rangers fans were close to their pain threshold given the winless start to the league season, manager Martin was perhaps more pragmatic and risk-averse against his city rivals.
However, it means after four games his side sit in sixth, six points behind Celtic.
Dessers closing in on Rangers exit – Martin
Published
2 hours ago
Slow & steady for Rangers as Celtic show drop off in quality – analysis
After three Premiership matches without a win and humiliation at the hands of Brugge in Europe, Rangers knew they had to improve and duly delivered.
Committed, energetic, and organised, this was not the high-risk, high-reward football Martin one day wants to have as the norm. It was solid, unspectacular but enabled a struggling team to have a platform in the game.
Baby steps, if you will, given some of the holes in the side that other teams have exposed so far under the former Southampton boss’ tenure.
That they were easily able to contain the defending champions will come as some comfort.
What information do we collect from this quiz?
This was a concerning performance from a Celtic point of view. Flat, uninspiring and completely toothless.
What has happened to the fast-flowing attacking football, the energy, the constant goal threats?
They were nowhere to be seen at Ibrox, just as they went missing for 210 minutes against Kairat Almaty.
New signings Benjamin Nygren and Michel-Ange Balikwisha saw plenty of the ball but weren’t able to do anything with it. Daizen Maeda looks completely unrecognisable from last season’s runaway Player of the Year. Reo Hatate looks a shadow of himself as well, misplacing passes and having little impact on the game.
There will be no panic, given the transfer window is still open and Celtic are still unbeaten in the Premiership. There will, however, be concern about the speed and scale of their drop-off in quality this season.
What they said
Rangers head coach Russell Martin told BBC Scotland: “I’m disappointed we didn’t win because I felt we were good for large parts. I’m really proud of the players’ level of fight, desire, aggression, all things we questioned inside and outside of the building.
“That was a big focus today to really fight and show some togetherness and spirit and aggression – and there was so much of that. We couldn’t find the composure at times.
“It’s an important clean sheet, an important point. We’re six points off top, which is frustrating for us, but it gives us something to hunt.”
00:50
Media caption,
Martin reacts to Celtic stalemate
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told BBC Scotland: “I didn’t think it was a good game at all. Positive for us, we’ve defended well in the main at the start of the season, been very resolute.
“We didn’t have any shots on goal against us. But our offensive game is nowhere near the level I’d like it to be at. It was a game that lacked quality.
“We’ve lost players that connected the game for us. When you go through a spell of games you’re not scoring, it can affect the other guys and they don’t quite make the forward pass and they make the safe pass.
“That creativity has come out the team and we need to find those connections again. I’m very confident we will improve. We have to. That’s not the Celtic way of playing.”
00:56
Media caption,
Rodgers says Celtic ‘have to improve’
What next for the teams?
Rangers host Hearts on 13 September (15:00 BST), while Celtic go to Rugby Park to take on Kilmarnock the following day (15:00).
Manager’s post-match reaction to derby draw
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/august/31/manager-s-post-match-reaction-to-derby-draw/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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31 Aug 2025, 2:54 pm
Brendan Rodgers reflected on a Glasgow derby that saw his side keep a fourth consecutive league clean sheet, although they had to be content with a share of the spoils after the Ibrox clash finished 0-0.
But the Celtic manager admitted that the creative side of the performance wasn’t at the level he’d expect from a Celtic team.
Speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Brendan Rodgers said: “The positive would be that we kept a clean sheet and over the course of this early part of the season we haven’t given much away.
“Today we didn’t have a shot against us on goal, so it shows that the team is working, and working very hard.
“But the creative side is nowhere near the level where I’d expect a Celtic team to be. I think it was a poor game, in relation to quality, it was disappointing in that aspect. But we leave here with a point and with a big 24 hours ahead.”
And commenting on the debuts of the two latest additions to the Celtic squad – Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Marcelo Saracchi – the manager said: “It’s always a tough game to come in and play away at Ibrox, especially as an attacking player, but Michel-Ange will get better.
“He’s got qualities and we’ll look for him to be more aggressive when he has the ball and look to take people on and can he beat a man – that’s why we bring in one-v-one wingers who can do that, so I think he’ll be better for that feeling and performance of what it takes.
“Marcello coming in, and it’s a tough game to come into, but he was positive and played with no fear.
“From a domestic perspective, we’ve won every game apart from today, so we’re okay in that aspect, but with a lot of improvements to make.
“We’re bitterly disappointed with Champions League because we had a huge opportunity there, but we didn’t take it, and now we can hopefully in the next 24 hours bring in the players that can really help us and rejuvenate the squad.
“That then allows us to go into the next spell of games with a more creative feel to the team and then we can go and push on and look forward to Europe.”