SPL: Celtic 2-4 Rangers 31/08/08

[DavidMc]

Celtic v Rangers
Scottish Premier League
Sunday 31st August 08
Celtic Park

Celtic will give late fitness test to strikers Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink ahead of the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Fellow forward Shaun Maloney and defender Gary Caldwell have both recovered from injury.

Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch is doubtful with a knee ligament injury.

Manager Walter Smith will decide on the fitness of new signing Maurice Edu, whose arrival from the USA was delayed by the collapse of the Zoom airline.



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Celtic (from): Boruc, Hinkel, Loovens, McManus, Caldwell, Wilson, Nakamura, Scott Brown, Crosas, Hartley, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Maloney, McDonald, Samaras, Killen, Mark Brown, Robson, O'Dea, Caddis.

Rangers (from): McGregor, Broadfoot, Weir, Bougherra, Papac, Novo, Darcheville, Mendes, Davis, Thomson, Miller, Beasley, Boyd, Alexander, Whittaker, Aaron, Fleck, Edu.

[DavidMc]

Old Firm derbies are often heated affairs and Sunday's first meeting of the season between Celtic and Rangers will raise the temperature of the Scottish Premier League season.

Before the other clubs played their game in hand on Saturday, the two Glasgow rivals were already in their familiar positions at the top of the table.

Only goal difference edged Celtic ahead of Rangers, with both having won two and drawn one of their three matches.

Here, BBC Sport profiles the two sides before they enter the cauldron that will be Celtic Park on Sunday.

LAST SEASON

In the four Old Firm fixtures during season 2007/08, the home team always came out on top.

At Ibrox, a 3-0 win in October, followed by a 1-0 victory in March, put Rangers in a commanding position at the top of the Scottish Premier League before Celtic recorded back-to-back victories over their greatest rivals at Parkhead in April.

Strachan's side won 2-1 and 3-2 in thrilling encounters to re-ignite the title race.

Celtic eventually won the championship on the last day of the season, their third successive SPL triumph.

CURRENT FORM

Both sides share seven points after three games.

Neither side has won away from home, which may favour Celtic in this particular fixture.

Rangers' opening to the season has been overshadowed by an early exit from Europe, while Celtic have just discovered their Champions League opponents having gained automatic qualification to the group stages of the competition.

Controversial refereeing decisions have dogged the opening SPL fixtures, particularly in matches involving one or other Old Firm side.

But Sunday's referee Dougie MacDonald says he wants the game to be decided in a fair manner and is determined to maintain communication with his two assistants at all times.

MANAGERS

Gordon Strachan has faced Rangers boss Walter Smith on six occasions in an Old Firm fixture. Smith's side won the first four of these encounters without losing a goal before Celtic's double victory in April.

The managers also met on numerous occasions while managing in England, Strachan having been in charge of Coventry City and Southampton and Everton being Smith's former employer.

In total, more than 14 encounters that included one draw, Smith has won eight times against one of Strachan's sides, while the latter has won on five occasions.

Smith, of course, is in his second spell as Rangers manager and has taken charge of the Ibrox side in 40 Old Firm games, winning 22, losing nine and drawing nine.

Strachan has managed Celtic in 13 Old Firm derbies since joining the Parkhead side in 2005. He has won six, lost five and drawn twice.

PLAYERS

With Rangers having signed more players than their Old Firm rivals, the home side's line-up is slightly easier to predict.

Recent signing Glenn Loovens could partner Celtic captain Stephen McManus in defence after making a debut against Falkirk last week, but fit-again Gary Caldwell may regain his place at Loovens' expense.

But quite who the Celtic defence will face in the Rangers attack is unclear with Smith having deployed his many strikers in a variety of formations so far this season.

Former Celtic striker Kenny Miller and fellow new signings Kyle Lafferty and Andrius Velicka are all candidates for a lone frontman role should Smith elect to go with a 4-5-1 formation, but Kris Boyd could partner any of the aforementioned in a 4-4-2. Nacho Novo and Jean-Claude Darcheville may also feature at Celtic Park.
Old Firm matches are always eventful affairs

In midfield, there is sure to be a battle between Celtic's Paul Hartley, Scott Brown and Barry Robson and Rangers' Pedro Mendes, Kevin Thomson and Steven Davis.

Rangers' defence has gone through a reconstruction with Carlos Cuellar departing for Aston Villa and Madjid Bougherra coming in from Charlton Athletic.

The Algerian is set to partner David Weir at the heart of the visiting defence, but they will not necessarily face Celtic's first-choice strike pairing of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald.

Both are struggling with injury, meaning Strachan may select Georgios Samaras and Shaun Maloney.

AFTERMATH

At such an early stage of the season, the lasting impact of this match may not be felt until much later in the campaign.

However, gaining an advantage for either side would be a welcome way to enter the two-week international break from domestic football.

The Old Firm are scheduled to meet again at Ibrox in late December before the fixture returns to Celtic Park on Valentine's Day.

But, although a passionate affair, the Old Firm match will seldom be regarded as a romantic derby.

[DavidMc]

That time again. First Old Firm of the season. I'm expecting a close game. The first 20/25mins will be frantic. Both teams trying to control the early stages of the game.

Smith will probably deploy a lone striker (probably Kenny Miller) and he will be looking to score on his return to Celtic Park in a Rangers jersey.

We will probably set-out like.......

----------McGregor----------
-Broadfoot-Weir-Bougherra-Papac
-Beasley-Davis-Mendes-Thomson-Novo-
----------Miller----------

Not sure where Boyd will come into play in this game. He is always likely to get a goal but in a game like this we need players who will put in a shift.

[Buddha14]

WHAT A GOAL FROM MENDES!

[LAF]

It's been years since I've seen Rangers dominate at Celtic Park.

Great game aswell.

The referee was poor. A trend this season.

[DavidMc]

Celtic 2-4 Rangers

Kenny Miller scored twice on his return to former club Celtic as Rangers won a thrilling Old Firm derby that both sides finished with 10 men.

Daniel Cousin fired home from a difficult angle, but Celtic's Georgios Samaras tapped in seconds later.

A Miller volley and a Pedro Mendes piledriver put Rangers in control.

Cousin and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink were both sent off before Miller pounced on an Artur Boruc mistake and Shunsuke Nakamura curled a late reply.

Victory put Rangers on top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference ahead of Kilmarnock as manager Walter Smith won the tactical battle.

Smith had sprung a surprise by naming Cousin, the Gabon striker who has been out of favour since the collapse of a proposed move to Fulham, in his starting line-up.

He was paired with Miller as Smith abandoned the single-striker formation he has used in recent Old Firm encounters, but there was no place even on the bench for last season's top scorer, Kris Boyd.

The more positive formation appeared to catch the home side unawares in the opening minutes with a couple of crosses whipped into the box, but a Celtic defence with fit-again Gary Caldwell replacing Glenn Loovens at its heart dealt with the threat fairly comfortably.

As the reigning champions' greater width began to pay dividends, Stephen McManus headed a Nakamura free-kick just wide of the far post.

The game threatened to boil over with Rangers' Kevin Thomson, for a late challenge on Nakamura, and McManus, for a spot of petulance, both being booked before 15 minutes had elapsed.

Celtic threatened twice in even quicker succession as the action heated up in a more positive manner.

Samaras, starting up front alongside Shaun Maloney with Vennegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald not fit enough to start, headed straight at Allan McGregor from 15 yards and Aiden McGready flashing a drive a few yards wide from longer range.

But Rangers took the lead after 37 minutes against the balance of play when Cousin skinned Mark Wilson, standing in for the injured Lee Naylor at left-back, and fooled goalkeeper Boruc by tucking the ball inside the front post from a tight angle.

The lead lasted less than two minutes, Sasa Papac's awkward attempt to clear a low McGeady cross falling kindly for Samaras to fire home from eight yards.

Maloney was first to threaten after the break, his quick feet creating the space for a drive curled wide from 16 yards.

But it was Rangers who struck after 52 minutes when Miller, who had been having a disappointing game against his former club, volleyed home superbly after being found at the back post by a Charlie Adam cross.

Mendes put Rangers in command when he flashed a drive past Boruc from 25 yards after being found in space by a clever Adam corner 10 minutes later.

Cousin's continual aerial jousts appeared to test the patience of referee Dougie McDonald and earned the striker a second yellow card with quarter of an hour remaining.

But Celtic's one-man advantage lasted a matter of seconds as Vennegoor of Hesselink was sent off for lashing out at Kirk Broadfoot immediately after coming on as a substitute.

And Miller made sure that the blue half of Glasgow will have the bragging rights - at least until the next Old Firm derby - by slotting home after Boruc spilled a Broadfoot cross after 79 minutes.

Nakamura's trademark free-kick in stoppage time could not douse the Rangers celebrations.



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Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Wilson (Hutchinson 84), Nakamura, Hartley (Robson 72), Scott Brown, McGeady, Maloney, Samaras (Vennegoor of Hesselink 72).
Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Crosas, Loovens, O'Dea.

Sent Off: Vennegoor of Hesselink (76). Booked: McManus, Samaras.

Goals: Samaras 39, Nakamura 90.

Rangers: McGregor, Broadfoot, Weir, Bougherra, Papac, Davis, Pedro Mendes, Thomson, Adam (Novo 78), Cousin, Miller.
Subs Not Used: Alexander, Edu, Dailly, Lafferty, Niguez, McMillan.

Sent Off: Cousin (75). Booked: Thomson, Cousin, Adam, McGregor, Broadfoot.

Goals: Cousin 37, Miller 52, Pedro Mendes 62, Miller 79.

Att: 58,595

[Buddha14]

God i miss pedro his guile his passing his shots everything about him