Rangers and Celtic will go head to head for the fifth time this season on Sunday, with the two sides clashing in a battle to land a spot in the Scottish Cup Final.
In the previous four meetings, Rangers are yet to win one against their Old Firm rivals, with Celtic winning three and drawing one, with one of those victories securing the ViaPlay trophy. The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 3-2 win for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, and following Rangers' 2-0 loss to Aberdeen, the Hoops now sit 13 points ahead of the Light Blues.
The two rivals both won 3-0 in the quarter-finals to reach the semis at Hampden Park, with the winner of Sunday's clash set to face either Inverness back at the national stadium in early June.. Both sides have big doubts heading into the clash, but a few players could potentially return from either side as the Hoops target a domestic Treble while Michael Beale and Co look to put silverware in the trophy cabinet and deny their arch rivals the chance of completing a domestic clean sweep.
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"[Connor] Goldson, [Scott] Wright, [Ryan] Kent and [Alex] Lowry all trained. We just need to see how they react now and assess after returning today to training," said Gers boss Beale. Reo Hatate and Jota were both pictured in Celtic training as well, which is a big boost for Ange Postecoglou's side.
So, who will emerge victorious and book their spot in the Scottish Cup Final? We simulated the game to try and find out.
Rangers vs Celtic simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the Rangers and Celtic squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Gers could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic; Raskin, Lundstram; Tillman, Cantwell, Kent; Morelos.
We predict that the Hoops could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; McGregor, Hatate; Jota, O'Riley, Maeda; Kyogo.
Rangers pummeled the Celtic goal with shots in the first 20 minutes as they dominated the opening stages, but a mix of poor finishing and good defending saw the Light Blues fail to find the net. Beale's side were made to pay for their missed chances shortly after, with Daizen Maeda drawing first blood in the 24th minute.
As Celtic pushed forward and worked the ball around the Rangers box, Callum McGregor tried his luck from range with a driven shot towards the bottom corner. Allan McGregor did well to push the shot away from goal, but Maeda was quickest to react, reaching the loose ball and firing into the empty net.
Todd Cantwell struck the post moments after his side went behind as the Gers searched for an instant response. But, as they threw men forward, they were left exposed at the back, and on the stroke of half-time, Celtic made it 2-0.
A loose pass from John Lundstram in midfield saw a turnover in possession on the halfway line, allowing the Hoops to hit Rangers on the break. Jota threaded a pass to Kyogo Furuhashi in the middle who surged through on goal, and one-on-one, the striker found the corner to double his side's lead.
Two goals down, Rangers would've needed a perfect second-half display to turn things around, but 20 minutes after the restart they were reduced to 10 men as Todd Cantwell caught McGregor late with a dangerous challenge. And, matters were made worse in the 81st minute when an error at the back gifted Celtic their third of the afternoon.
Under pressure from the Hoops' front line, Rangers passed the ball around the back, trying to play their way out. McGregor took too long on the ball though only yards from his own goal, and his attempted clearance was closed down by Kyogo, striking the leg of the striker and ricocheting into the net.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Rangers 0-3 Celtic
FIFA 23 predicts that Celtic can advance to the Scottish Cup Final, beating Rangers 3-0 in the simulation. Despite having more shots, the Gers were poor at the back as they fell to a fourth defeat of the season against their rivals.
What do you think the score will be between Rangers and Celtic on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!
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