Celtic v Rangers LIVE

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4 min: Kris Commons tries his luck despite the distance between ball and goal. His effort is poor, hits the two-man Rangers wall and loops up in the air. Daniel Majstorovic wins the header for Celtic, but Rangers manage to clear their lines.

3 min: Kyle Bartley picks up the first yellow card of the match for a late lunge on Scott Brown, halfway inside the Rangers half. That's a nasty, nasty tackle. If it wasn't so early in the match he could well have been sent off for that. Free-kick for Celtic about 40 yards from the Rangers goal.

2 min: Kyle Bartley's been given the job of marking Georgios Samaras and and leaps alongside the the Greek as the pair contest a long kick-out from Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Foster.

1 min: Referee Iain Brines, a policeman officiating his first Old Firm Derby, blows his whistle and Celtic kick-off.

Hmmm ... Accorsing to Sky's fancy graphic, Celtic will be playing three up front, with Samaras and Kris Commons playing either side of Hooper. We'll see how it pans out.

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack: Both teams march out of the tunnel, Celtic led by Scott Brown and Rangers by David Weir.

How they'll line up: It looks like Rangers are planning on keeping things tight with five across the middle and Nikica Jelavic ploughing a lone furrow up front. As hosts, Celtic will want to take a high tempo game to Rangers and will set out a 4-4-2-shaped stall, with Georgios Samaras anbd Gary Hooper as their striking duo.

An interesting selection:! Kyle Ba rtley makes his Old Firm debut in central midfield for Rangers. He's on loan from Arsenal, he's 19 years old and he's fairly experienced despite his tender years, having made around 30 appearances for Sheffield United during a couple of loan spells at Bramall Lane.

Good afternoon everybody. The quality of fare served up in the Scottish Premier League comes in for more than its fair share of flak, but the last encounter between these fierce Glasgow rivals, a 2-2 draw in the Scottish Cup, was a bona fide belter, serving up four goals, including a wonder-strike from Rangers tyro Jamie Ness, two sendings-off and two penalties in a suitably bubbling Ibrox cauldron.

This afternoon the teams convene at Celtic Park for a league clash, with second-place Rangers hoping to close the gap separating them from their hosts, who are five points clear at the top of the table, albeit having played two games more. This is the fourth meeting between the sides this season and honours are even in their two previous league encounters, with Rangers having won at Celtic Park in October, prompting Celtic to exact revenge at Ibrox in January.

Celtic: Forster, Wilson, Majstorovic, Mulgrew, Izaguirre,
Brown, Kayal, Ledley, Commons, Samaras, Hooper.
Subs: Zaluska, Juarez, Stokes, Ki, McCourt, Rogne, Forrest.

Rangers: McGregor, Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac, Davis,
Diouf, Bartley, Edu, Naismith, Jelavic.
Subs: Alexander, Fleck, Lafferty, Foster, Healy, Weiss, Hutton.

Referee: Iain Brines (Scotland)


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