Chris Sutton shares ‘huge’ Celtic v Rangers Scottish Premiership prediction live on Sky Sports
Chris Sutton believes Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will be feeling the pressure more than Philippe Clement at Rangers ahead of their Saturday afternoon Old Firm derby clash.
Rangers make the trip to Celtic Park on Saturday (29 December) hoping to cut the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to two points, with a game still in hand for the Gers.
Sutton, speaking live to Sky Sports ahead of the game on Saturday afternoon praised the impact Clement has had at Ibrox but believes it is a “huge test” for both teams especially Rodges and should Rangers win, things could get “ugly” for the Celtic boss at Parkhead.
He said: “I do like this Rangers team and they’re absolutely flying at this moment, when you think about them at the start of the season, how poor they were, Clement had a big task on and he hasn’t poot a foot wrong.
“But, this is his biggest test against a Rodgers team who haven’t been at their best all season, you don’t know what you’re going to get one week to the next but this is a huge test for Rodgers and probably a bigger game for him than Clement because I think the stadium will be packed today, if they win there’ll be the faith and belief restored with Brendan at the helm but if they lose, things could get ugly inside here.
“Celtic this season, there have been some strong performances but they’ve been too far and between, you think Hearts away, Aberdeen on a couple of occasions but there’s others where they’ve performed very well, beating Dundee and Livingston.
“It’s okay but they are teams at the bottom end of the table so this will be a huge test.
“I expect it to be quite an open game which may suit Celtic but I am not convinced about them defensively and no Carter-Vickers of course, Stephen Welsh coming in so he will have to step up today.”
Can nick this
Despite being away from home, Philippe Clement’s side should fancy their chances against Celtic considering the absence of key players like Carter-Vickers.
Carter-Vickers’ injury blow may disrupt Celtic’s defensive stability, providing a real and glaring opportunity for Rangers to exploit any defensive vulnerabilities.
Rangers have been in good form, sitting five points behind Celtic with two games in hand and a win on Saturday could go a long way to the Light Blues picking up plenty of the bragging rights for the second half of the season.
What a way to end 2023 it will be for Clement and his side if they were to grab a win and the way Rodgers’ Celtic have fared in recent weeks, Rangers are well within their remit and quality to nick a win.
The potential defensive reshuffling due to Carter-Vickers’ injury opens avenues for Rangers’ attackers with Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers potentially licking their lips.
The game at Parkhead provides an opportunity for Rangers to showcase their resilience and new-found confidence under Clement. How the Gers fans will love it if things got toxic within the home support. They’ll be doing something right.
In other Rangers news, Sky Sports shared what wowed Fabio Silva when he visited Auchenhowie before his confirmed Ibrox transfer.