Rangers v Celtic: What do the numbers tell us about Old Firm derby?
- Published
Philippe Clement (left) & Brendan Rodgers (right) go head-to-head for the second time on Sunday
Scottish Premiership: Rangers v Celtic |
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Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 7 April Kick-off: 12:00 BST |
Coverage: Follow live text & radio coverage on the BBC Sport website & app; watch highlights on Sportscene |
Record-breaking managerial win rates, stellar scoring stats and an unwanted milestone to avoid.
With the help of our friends at Opta, BBC Scotland has been digging through Old Firm derby facts and figures as we look towards Sunday's seismic encounter at Ibrox.
But what are the stand out numbers around this weekend's showdown?
Top spot with Celtic, but form with Rangers
Although Rangers come into this derby a place and a point behind leaders Celtic in the table, they have picked up seven more points than their rivals in the league in 2024.
Granted, they have played one match more but their tally of 30 points beats the 23 harvested by their neighbours.
Philippe Clement's side have won 10 of their 11 league games this calendar year, with their only defeat coming against Motherwell at Ibrox.
Record-breaking Rodgers
Celtic's Brendan Rodgers has won 12 of his 15 meetings against Rangers as a manager in all competitions, drawing two and losing just once.
His 80%-win rate is the highest of any manager in Old Firm derby history in major competitions and he has both matches since returning to the club last summer.
Tavernier's derby numbers
Five of James Tavernier's 122 Rangers goals have come in Old Firm derbies, as have six of his 127 assists.
The right-back has now scored 15 league goals this season, one shy of his competition record of 16 in 2022-23, and became the highest-scoring defender in British history last weekend.
He has also now been directly involved in 150 goals in his career in the Premiership (78 goals, 72 assists), the most of any player since it was rebranded in 2013.
Unwanted record to avoid
Rangers have won just one of their last nine meetings with Celtic across all competitions, coming in a 3-0 home victory in the league last season after their rivals had already sealed the title.
Having lost both derbies this term, the Ibrox side could suffer defeat in each of their first three Old Firm games of a league season for the first time since 2003-04 under Alex McLeish.
The man for the big occasion
Kyogo Furuhashi has scored in both meetings between Celtic and Rangers in the Premiership this season, which takes his tally in the fixture to seven goals in 11 derbies.
The last player to net in three league encounters in the same season was his former team-mate Tom Rogic in 2017-18.
Since Rangers returned to the top flight in 2016, only Odsonne Edouard (seven) and Mark O'Hara (six) have scored more Premiership goals against the Ibrox side than Kyogo (five).