A Proper Old Firm for a Proper Final
The Scottish League Cup final sees an Old Firm match-up as Rangers take on Celtic. Can Celtic retain their title? Have a read of our preview here:
Up the Bhoys: Celtic’s route to the final
Celtic have won this competition no fewer than 18 times in their illustrious history which is hardly a shock given their size but it is still a meaningful piece of silverware which adds to the flavour of Scottish football.
This season they are battling hard on all fronts as ever, with the added bonus of a European adventure to enjoy so they could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas in the League Cup – but not so.
Their opening fixture in the competition suggested it could be a tough route to the final after they were taken to extra time by Dunfermline Athletic. The Scottish Championship outfit looked to be heading out until a Thomas Beadling strike 13-minutes from time forced the match into extra time.
This season James Forrest has been superb for the Bhoys and it was his goal in the extra period that dug Celtic out of trouble.
The quarter-final was far more straight forward as a Jules Ntcham brace helped Neil Lennon’s men coast past Partick Thistle 5-0 at Celtic Park.
This led to a match up with Hibs at Hampden Park and, again, Celtic coasted through with Scott Brown scoring twice in a 5-2 win.
Time for the Gers to shine: Rangers’ route to the final
Rangers won their first game in this competition in 2019-20 with an easy 3-0 victory against East Fife. An opener from Jermain Defoe got them on their way to a quarter-final pairing with Livingston.
The game at Almondvale Stadium was a lot closer than many expected with Finnish international Glen Kamara popping up with the decisive goal to decide the match.
The semi-final saw a Glasgow v Edinburgh match-up with Hearts and, again, Rangers were far too good for their opponents, walking into the final thanks to an Alfredo Morelos brace in a 3-0 win.
Rangers v Celtic betting tip
Despite Rangers being absolutely wonderful to watch in the league, you feel they are still a step behind Celtic in terms of overall quality. This is hardly surprising given the two club’s paths over the last few years but we are still leaning on a Celtic win at odds of 23/20 in this one.
