Rangers vs Celtic LIVE as Callum McGregor misses out and Nasser Djiga starts for hosts at Ibrox

Prediction time

Keith Jackson

The only safe prediction for this weekend is that all manner of chaos is about to unfold. Last week’s league clash could hardly be described as a damp squib. It was anything but. However, it passed by relatively smoothly. And that can’t happen twice in the space of eight days. So expect fireworks with the potential for this tie to go all the way to extra time and penalties. Celtic have been salvaging results lately purely on their embedded killer instincts. That could be enough to see them through to the semis.

Rangers 3 Celtic 3 (AET) Celtic win on penalties

Michael Gannon

It’s going to be a fascinating tactical battle on the back of last week’s Jekyll and Hyde displays from both. Danny Rohl knows he can get joy going long and then flooding forward to win second balls, but he’s also aware his team can’t maintain it for 90 minutes. Celtic might need to dig in to survive and then take advantage.It could be a long afternoon.

Rangers 1-2 Celtic (AET)

Scott McDermott

If Rangers can replicate the power, tempo and intensity they showed for 50 minutes last weekend - then manage the game better - they could have too much for Celtic at home. The Scottish Cup will be vital for Danny Rohl if the title proves to be beyond them - and he can get his first victory over Martin O'Neill at the third attempt. Rangers' twin strikeforce of Youssef Chermiti and Ryan Naderi will be crucial again. Also, with Connor Barron returning from injury he could have an impact - even from the bench - in ensuring the Hoops don't gain control of the midfield like last Sunday.

Rangers 2-1 Celtic

Fraser Wilson

This is even tighter to call than last week and all the same strengths and weaknesses remain. Another ferocious encounter will charge into an extra 30 minutes and then it's down to who can produce a bit of quality. Toss of a coin stuff but I feel the momentum is with Celtic.

Rangers 1 Celtic 2 (AET)

Graeme Young

A comeback draw, a bumper away crowd and fresh from a dogged win to leapfrog Rangers in the league - the signs are pointing in Celtic’s direction. Meanwhile, the mood at Ibrox is somber, but Danny Rohl’s side showed enough promise in the first half to suggest more is still to come. Youssef Chermiti’s talismanic presence in this match could be the difference.

Rangers 2 Celtic 1

Gavin Berry

It’s going to be fascinating to see how much of a psychological the ending to last week’s game has on this encounter. Will the way the match finished still be in the heads of both players? If - and it is a big IF - Rangers can replicate that first half performance then they have shown they have too much for Celtic, on their own first half showing. Or can the visitors produce a repeat of their second half performance? It could end up being somewhere in the middle but home advantage could see Rangers edge it.

Rangers 1 Celtic 0

Andy Newport

Danny Rohl's side went full throttle for 45 minutes last week and very nearly ran Celtic off the road. They were only pegged back after taking their foot off the gas in the second period so this time I expect Gers to keep their boot to the floor and motor on to the semi-finals.

Rangers 2 Celtic 1

Ryan McDonald

Celts are building a head of steam heading into this derby blockbuster. Three away days on the bounce have yielded two wins and a draw. You wonder what effect last weekend’s two-goal fightback will have had on Gers and with a green-and-white wall behind the Broomloan goal, I think it could be the Hoops' day.

Rangers 1-2 Celtic

Scott Burns

Rangers might just swing it with home advantage. Neither of these sides are that convincing. Celtic had a game midweek and that could give Danny Rohl’s side the edge.

Rangers 2 Celtic 1

Danny urges troops to hush Hoops legions

Defiant Danny Rohl has urged Rangers to come out roaring on Sunday... and silence the bumper Broomloan Celtic end.

Today's Scottish Cup quarter-final clash with see the Parkhead outfit take up their traditional away section behind the goals at Ibrox for the first time in eight years.

It means Martin O’Neill’s men will be able to count on the ear-splitting support of 7,500 fans as they look to march on Hampden.

But Rohl reckons his team can hush the Hoops if they can crank up the volume from their own punters, just as they did in a sensational first-half display in last week’s 2-2 Premiership thriller.

Rangers raced to a two-goal late thanks to Youssef Chermiti’s stunning brace but couldn’t maintain their derby din after folding in the second half.

However, their German gaffer is convinced this time his team can go the distance. Asked if the increased away allocation would have an impact, Rohl said

Of course it will have. But if we play 50 minutes like we did then the 7,500 will also be quiet. This is the part in the game where you feel it. We influence, we can influence, we can make the impact on our performance on the pitch.

The atmosphere was incredible for 50 minutes, really incredible. It was amazing to feel this. We pushed our players forward, forward. Then it comes to 2-1 and you feel it in the stadium as well. But this is also part of the game. Maybe we can do it together, that we come through these small minutes where you feel the opponent comes in better into the game. But this 50 minutes was really, really outstanding. I really enjoyed this, to be in the touchline in such a game.

O'Neill faces big keeper call

Both managers face huge selection dilemmas, with Martin O'Neill having to make a decision on his No. 1 assuming Kasper Schmeichel is fit again.

At Aston Villa, O'Neill had a similar headache with Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan vying for the gloves. Now, 16 years on, O’Neill has another dilemma to solve - with Viljami Sinisalo staking his claim to start ahead of out-of-sorts Schmeichel.

Back-up goalie Sinisalo has impressed during his auditions in Stuttgart, Ibrox and Pittodrie - including a stunning point-blank stop to deny Kevin Nisbet on Wednesday night. Fans are clamouring for the Finland international to be given the nod ahead of error-prone Schmeichel, who has now recovered from illness.

Experienced O’Neill won’t shy away from making the big call for this Scottish Cup showdown. And it’s not the first time the wily old fox has rolled the dice with his shotstopper, as he did with a brave selection call before a 2-1 Wembley defeat to Manchester United.

If I genuinely think about it. At Aston Villa, we got to the League Cup final in 2010. I had two very good American goalkeepers – Brad Friedel, a really great goalkeeper, and Brad Guzan who I fought long and hard to get a work permit for.

He was a young keeper. The whole matches leading up to the final, Brad Guzan had played – in fact, we played up at Sunderland, and he carried us single-handedly over the line, he was also a great fellow.

And then the semi-final vs Blackburn, I think it was, we actually won the second leg 6-4 – it was not aggregate, it was 6-4. It might not have been a great evening for him. His form started to dip a wee bit. I went in on the morning of the game and it was very difficult to leave him out because he had got us there.

I went for Brad Friedel, partly in terms of experience but partly because young Guzan’s form had not been great. So that is one I do remember…. Of course I've played in front of, as a player, Pat Jennings at international level, and I've played in front of Peter Shilton. I've got a strange old view about goalkeepers now after that.

Rohl becoming an issue for Gers - Sutton

Chris Sutton didn't miss Danny Rohl in his latest exclusive Record Sport column.

The Celtic hero claimed Rangers boss Danny Rohl was letting his ego run away with him and is becoming an issue for the Light Blues.

There was some flak heading my way this week for suggesting the biggest hindrance to Hearts winning the league might be the actions of Derek McInnes.

I stand by that opinion. But, likewise, I believe Rangers might have a similar problem with Danny Rohl.

It’s not the actions of the Rangers manager that could be the problem thought – it’s the words.

If people had listened fully to what I said about McInnes they would have heard me singing his praises.

He’s done an outstanding job getting Hearts top of the league and staying there for five months.

People talk about Jamestown Analytics but it’s McInnes that has pulled this squad together and got them over-performing to a spectacular level.

I think he’ll get them over the line – if he doesn’t get too excited on the sidelines, like we saw with stuff like him him barging into Aberdeen players, getting involved with Hibs fans and clashing with Celtic’s backroom team.

It’s a time for cool heads. Similarly at Ibrox.

Rohl showed signs of losing his before the Celtic game last week – and it will be interesting to see how he gets on this weekend in the Scottish Cup rematch.

I was really surprised Rohl got mixed up in talking about Celtic’s team section and European performances before the league match.

It’s kind of an unwritten rule in football not to talk about oppositions teams like that – especially when it’s Celtic.

There was no need to react to Luke McCowan’s comments but it was the comments about the European performance and who would be playing that was bizarre. And it came back to bite him a bit.

I think even Rangers fans would rather he minded his own business, as he’s got plenty to ponder himself.

It will be really interesting to see how Sunday goes on the back of last weekend.

I think this is a bigger game for Rohl than O’Neill.

People will – rightly – cut him some slack for getting Rangers back in the title race after the start they had.

But it does look like his ego got away from him a little bit. He should be concentrating on what really matters rather than a silly tit-for-tat.

And the last manager you want to engage in a battle of wits is Martin O’Neill.

O'Neill treatment by Celtic 'scandalous'

Celtic's treatment of Martin O'Neill is scandalous and he's been left with inadequates, writes Hugh Keevins in his latest hard-hitting column.

The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the word “scandal” is “a situation which you find shocking and unacceptable”.

In other words, how Celtic’s support might view their club’s transfer business over the last year.

And whoever is responsible for running the club leaving Martin O’Neill to see if he can win a league and Cup double with strikers who can’t score, a succession of other players who can’t be trusted enough to be brought on as subs, or the truly hopeless cases who can’t even make it on to the bench in the first place.

Supporters who allow themselves to use the evidence of their own eyes appreciate the manager has been treated in a scandalous fashion after having been brought in to clear up the mess created by the unfathomable decision to employ a man, Wilfried Nancy, whose credentials in no way made him fit for purpose at Celtic Park.

O’Neill, and I speak as someone who is two years older than Martin, looks to be visibly ageing in the job. Is it any wonder?

But at the same time he has, by sheer strength of personality, held the club together when it might have imploded.

However, when O’Neill went through the list of players unavailable to him for one reason or another before Celtic’s game against Aberdeen on Wednesday night – the inventory of the inadequates as I would call it – he was making light of a dire situation rather than publicly exposing the damning nature of his plight.

The away support for the Scottish Cup tie with Rangers this afternoon have paid top dollar in the hope of getting bang for their buck, as they say, but the manager’s list of excuses relative to the inadequates only drew attention to the fact Celtic did not pay one thin dime for new players in the January window.

And it shows.

Fergus McCann’s famous line was re-emphasised last weekend at Ibrox when the total value of Celtic’s starting line-up amounted to £6million, which is a fraction of the fortune the club has lying in the bank.

Did someone say scandalous?

Michel-Ange Balikwisha, to cite one example of a club’s bizarre transfer business, cost the Hoops £5m at the start of the season. Martin said Balikwisha hadn’t featured in his squads because there were other players “better equipped for this league at this minute”.

Is it just me? Is that not a shocking example of misjudgment in the transfer market when what O’Neill actually needs is better players and right at this minute?

Jury delivers verdict

Should Danny Rohl stick with his 4-2-2-2 system against Celtic in the cup tie or shore up his midfield?

SCOTT McDERMOTT: Not necessarily. Rohl might consider a 4-3-1-2. He'd need to drop Andreas Skov Olsen but this would allow him a tighter, flat midfield three which includes Mo Diomande. Then he could play Mikey Moore in behind a front two of Youssef Chermiti and Ryan Naderi.

MICHAEL GANNON: If he sticks with it then he’ll need his side to be out of sight early, as they don’t have the gas to maintain it for 90 minutes. He might be more cagey with his setup this time.

ANDY NEWPORT: Yes but only if he can stress to Nico Raskin the importance of keeping his positioning and his composure in the centre of the park. When the Belgian gets caught up in the emotion of the game, he tends to wander, but Sunday is an occasion that demands cool heads in the heat of battle.

GAVIN BERRY: Sticks with the original formation. The game plan must be the same as seven days ago with a fast and aggressive start. He just has to ensure there is no repeat of the drop off that came in the second half. Danny Rohl doesn't have the players to control the game for 90 minutes.

Who starts up front for Celtic on Sunday and why?

SCOTT: It has to be Daizen Maeda. Junior Adamu and Tomas Cvancara don't look up to it and - although he's not at his best - the Japanese attacker still scares the life out of Rangers defenders with his pace and pressing.

MICHAEL: Daizen Maeda. Celtic don’t have much up top but the Japanese frontman does allow them to get the ball down rather than fall into the trap of going long to Cvancara or Adamu. Maeda desperately needs to find his shooting boots though.

ANDY: Maeda. Neither Cvancara nor Adamu are anywhere near good enough to be Celtic strikers and by shunting Maeda inside, it means Tounekti can offer a threat cutting in from the left.

GAVIN: Maeda is probably the man. Martin O'Neill's options are just so limited but Celtic improved when he moved more central at Ibrox last Sunday. He looked like the confidence-sapped player is at Pittodrie in midweek but the alternatives aren't much better.

You are the one we want

Youssef Chermiti betted two expertly taken goals last week but it still wasn't enough to bag the three points for Rangers.

And Tunisian FA chiefs will this week make a fresh appeal to persuade Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti to pledge his international future to them....despite Portugal boss Roberto Martinez revealing he is monitoring him for the World Cup.

The Ibrox hitman is currently in the Portugal Under 21s squad and is due to play against Scotland later this month in Amadora.

Martinez revealed last week that Chermiti is on his radar after namechecking him as one of the possible young Portuguese kids who could still get into his squad for the World Cup.

But reports in Tunisia have stated the African nation have not given up in trying to persuade the 21-year-old to play for them.

And they are preparing talks with him this week ahead of their two friendlies later this month in Toronto, against Scotland's opening World Cup opponents Haiti and hosts Canada.

Chermiti is eligible to play for Tunisia because of his father and he would have a far bigger chance of playing at the World Cup if he chose to represent Tunisia.

They face the winners of the play-off between Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, or Albania and then Japan and the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Tunisian FA sports director, Zied Jaziri, expressed his frustration last year at their attempts to include Chermiti in their plans.

At the moment, we have found it difficult to get Youssef Chermiti to commit his international future to Tunisia. We will continue to hold talks with him and hope he eventually decides on our exciting project.

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