Celtic vs Rangers Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets for latest Old Firm derby

The latest Old Firm derby of the season carries major stakes at the summit of the SPL table as Celtic host Rangers at Celtic Park, live on Sky Sports Main Event at 12:30pm this Saturday.

These two drew swords most recently as 7th April, when a trio of 80+ minute goals switched things up numerous times before the final whistle blew to declare a thrilling 3-3 Old Firm derby for the books.

As far as other recent head-to-heads go, Celtic are unbeaten across the last three, while Rangers have gone three without keeping a clean sheet.  Additionally, seven of the last nine meetings between these rivalries have seen 3+ goals returned, establishing this as a great punting opportunity for football fans this weekend.

Following the 3-3 draw in early April, Celtic have won their past three games to move into pole position in the title race, while Rangers have since stuttered with a draw and a defeat.

Historically, the hosts have been the dominant team in this head-to-head, winning over half of the 82 games played since 2003.

Brendan Rodgers has issued a warning to The Gers this week, stating that the Celtic they will face on Saturday will be 'the best version of this team since I've been here'. This is a rally cry of sorts, but we're inclined to believe him at this pivotal stage of the season.

Especially because his record in this derby speaks for itself: he averages 2.44 points per match across the 16 occasions he's come up against their Glaswegian neighbours, recording a victory 12 different times.

A win gives them a six-point lead at the top of the table and having lost just once at Celtic Park all season, issuing a 2-1 W here against this opposition in December, we fancy another win for The Hoops.

It won't necessarily be plain sailing, however, as this feels like the first season since Steven Gerrard's peerless side went unbeaten and also stopped their city rivals in their quest to break the domestic record by winning 10 consecutive titles.

This title race is going down to the wire unlike in other campaigns, which suggests that this contest should be similarly competitive to their previous 3-3 stalemate at Ibrox.

The last two H2Hs have seen both teams find the net, with this also being the case in the last two staged at Celtic Park, and we think it pays to back the same outcome on Saturday.

Matt O'Riley, Celtic's top scorer with 14 strikes in the SPL, also carries an additional 12 assists in the league and another three in Europe, proving he's worth his weight in gold for the reigning champions.

Having faced Rangers 13 times since joining, the 23-year-old holds a decent return of six goal contributions against them, scoring at Ibrox in the most recent fixture and involving himself in at least a goal in the last four of these meetings.

He netted in his last outing vs Hearts, as did Kyogo Furuhashi, who chalked up a brace in his side's 3-0 victory as the season tails off into the top-six split run-in.

That double means it's now three in the last three for the beloved Japanese forward, who is his team's second top scorer with 11 in the Scottish Premiership and 18 for the season across all comps.

Furuhashi also clearly enjoys playing in this fixture when you thumb through the historical stats, having netted seven in 12. Although he failed to find the net in last month's encounter, he had previously recorded a goal in the last four SPL meetings between these two, convincing us he's worthy of this inclusion in our double.