Old Firm Derby Preview: Rangers and Celtic Gear Up for Clash

By the time Wednesday night is done, the Scottish Premiership table could carry a very familiar shape. If Rangers stretch their winning run to four, the Old Firm will stride into Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final with the league already bending towards its usual duopoly.

First, though, there’s business to take care of.

Rangers welcome St Mirren to Ibrox. Celtic head up the A9 to face a resurgent St Johnstone in Perth. Both know any slip now will echo loudly by the weekend.

Rangers rising, St Mirren daring

Rangers have had to chase early this season, and they do so again here. Derek McInnes’ side sit behind third-placed St Mirren only on goal difference, the Paisley club having made a sharp, confident start.

Craig McLeish has shifted the Buddies’ style and been rewarded with more than just praise. His more fluid approach earned him the Premiership manager of the month award for August, and he sounds anything but surprised.

"I'm not surprised it's come together so quickly - I get that from the outside it might look like that," he said. "There's an internal belief about what we're doing and the work we can do on the pitch. It could have been even better and we were close to it being even better."

That belief will be tested now. St Mirren have already been to Ibrox this season and were taken apart in the Premier Sports Cup, thrashed as Rangers cut through them with ease.

James Penrice announced himself that day. The left-back scored one of five and laid on another in a lively debut, and he has not looked back. He has started every game since, as have central defenders Olwethu Makhanya and Emmanuel Fernandez. Fernandez still has the odd shaky moment, but the continuity at the back has underpinned Rangers’ recent surge.

Motherwell barely laid a glove on them at Ibrox on Saturday. Rangers squandered chances to add to their lead, yet still eased to victory. That followed wins over Aberdeen and Falkirk, a run that has allowed McInnes to talk about something more positive than pressure.

"I don't think that ever lifts until you've got a trophy in your hand," he said. "But I do think there's been a good feel about the place. What we have had in recent weeks is just small steps, encouragement, confidence levels."

The mood is improving, but the margins remain tight. Rangers edged the last two league meetings with St Mirren by a single goal. Before that, the Paisley side went four unbeaten in this fixture and showed they are not easily cowed by the Ibrox stage.

St Mirren arrive weakened. Paul Nsio, on loan from Rangers, is ineligible, stripping McLeish’s midfield of bite and legs. That matters. Rangers dominated the centre of the pitch in last month’s cup tie, and the same pattern could develop again.

The injury to Lawrence Shankland comes at a rotten time for McInnes. Just as the striker had rediscovered his scoring touch, he is sidelined, leaving Kevin Kelsy to step in without the luxury of a gentle introduction. The demands at Ibrox are rarely forgiving.

Four wins in a row would send Rangers into derby week with noise, momentum and the table bending their way. Anything less, and the questions return.

Celtic perfect at home, tested on the road

Across the city, Celtic’s domestic record remains immaculate. The bruises from their Champions League qualifying exit in Austria have been patched over by a perfect start in Scotland and a late-window recruitment drive that has refreshed Martin O’Neill’s squad.

They needed all of that depth in Paisley at the weekend. Celtic had to grind to see off St Mirren, who impressed in everything but the penalty boxes. McLeish’s side moved the ball well, pressed with conviction, and yet lacked the ruthless edge to punish the champions.

Celtic were not at their slick best either. They fell behind, laboured at times, but still found a way. Yang Hyun-jun drove that response, his energetic performance capped by the decisive goal. He will not be in Perth. The winger has joined up with South Korea for the Asian Games, leaving O’Neill to reshuffle again.

That presents a dilemma. Camilo Duran has been electric through the middle, with three goals and two assists in three games as a central striker. Shunting him wide would blunt his impact just as he is catching fire. If O’Neill does move him, on-loan Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka is waiting for a first start after brief outings from the bench.

Of the six players who arrived in the final 48 hours of the window, only Mheuka and Oliver Sorensen have seen any action so far. Sebastian Tounekti looks the most straightforward replacement for Yang on the flank, the safe, natural fit in a game where control out wide will matter.

There is more good news. Striker Kasper Hogh and left-back Kieran Tierney are both back in contention after short injury lay-offs, nudging Celtic closer to full strength just as the schedule tightens.

St Johnstone’s swagger and Celtic’s warning

St Johnstone, though, will not roll over. Simo Valakari’s side have won two on the spin and are hunting a third straight victory at McDiarmid Park. They want the ball, they want to build through the thirds, and they will not be intimidated by Celtic’s badge.

"They want to play football as well and they're committed," O'Neill said of his next opponents. "There's a vitality about them which is very encouraging. Not dissimilar in many aspects to what Craig McLeish is doing at St Mirren."

That vitality has a cutting edge at home. Three of Josh Fowler’s four goals this season have come in Perth. Local product Taylor Steven has caught the eye with his delivery from the right, his crossing a constant source of danger in the win over Hibs.

At the other end, Cheick Diabate and Zach Mitchell form an uncompromising central defensive pairing, happy to put their heads where it hurts. Yet for all their bravery, Saints are still chasing a first league clean sheet. That statistic hangs over them as Celtic roll into town.

Valakari knows the scale of the task.

"We need to do our football things so well, then at the same time, we need to earn our luck, because against Celtic, if you want to beat them, you need to be a little bit lucky in some moments," the Finn said.

History offers a reminder that this is not a foregone conclusion. O’Neill has not stood in a dugout in Perth for 25 years, but Celtic’s most recent visit brought a jolt: a St Johnstone home win in April 2025, one of the few bright sparks in a season that still ended in relegation for the Perth club.

They are back, rebuilt and bold again. Celtic arrive perfect in the league, Rangers are gathering pace, and Sunday’s derby already looms large.

First, though, two awkward assignments stand in the way. Who blinks before Glasgow collides?