The Scottish Cup final takes place on Saturday and it means another meeting for Celtic and Rangers.
We Meet Again
Both Celtic and Rangers have picked up a piece of Scottish silverware this season, who will end the season with a second?
One Or Two
If there is one certainty when north of the border, it must be the fact that another edition of the Old Firm is never too far away. No sooner had Celtic and Rangers met in the league just a fortnight ago, will they now meet again in this season’s Scottish Cup final.
That meeting at Celtic Park during the middle of May saw Brendan Rodgers’ men pick up a vital 2-1 win and although that victory would not clinch the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership title, a giant step toward claiming it was taken that afternoon.
Victory over their Ibrox counterparts on home soil meant the Hoops were then six points clear of Rangers with just two rounds of the campaign remaining. A single point at Kilmarnock the following Wednesday and the title would stay in the green and white half of Glasgow.
Then again, Celtic did not simply settle for a point at Rugby Park, they went out and got all three. Not only did they earn all three, but they scored five unanswered goals to get the party started as soon as possible.
The title race run with a lap still scheduled meant that Sunday’s home win over St Mirren was slightly more laborious then it would usually be but even when operating at a lesser tempo than usual, this Celtic side still showed why they have been the gold standard throughout.
If they have been the gold standard, then Rangers have certainly been the silver equivalent and considering Philippe Clement has not had a full campaign as manager at Ibrox, one wonders how different things could have been if the Belgian was in from the start.
That we will never know but we can offer some conjecture and with all things starting equal in just a few months, this Rangers side will be ready to push their local rivals as close as they possibly can and maybe even go one better.
Of course, title success was in Rangers’ hands before the end of season split and had they not stumbled before the division was cut into two equal pieces, there is every chance the Premiership crown could be sitting in the Ibrox trophy cabinet instead.
As for Rangers’ last league outing of the campaign, there was a sense of going through the motions as they were held by Hearts in an entertaining 3-3 draw but with nothing to play for, you would not blame Clements’ men for saving themselves for the cup final.
But now it is time for the first of my two tips, and I am going to kick things off with a two-legged bet builder. A Celtic win in 90 minutes and over three total goals to go with it is currently priced at 4/1 and I think that is a great start to Saturday’s proceedings.
In addition to this, Matt O’Riley has been reportedly courted by Premier League clubs and a cup final goal would only boost his value further. You can currently back the Dane to open the scoring at 15/2 and I think that offers considerable kickoff before the two teams take to the turf.
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