Celtic hosted Rangers at Celtic Park on Sunday in the final Old Firm clash of the 2025-26 season, a match Martin O'Neill called likely to be his last Glasgow derby this term.
With three matches remaining, the result mattered: Celtic sat behind Hearts — reported as trailing by three points with three matches left in one account and by four points with three games to play in another — and could still secure a fifth consecutive Scottish Premiership title if results went their way. Rangers, meanwhile, were third and reported as seven points adrift of the top in one account and described as a further four points behind Celtic in another, with second place and Champions League qualifying still attainable.
O'Neill, who has taken charge during two separate spells this season and had recorded 11 wins, two draws and two defeats in 15 league games in one report, set the tone before kick-off. "At home, we have to try and get on the front foot as early as possible and try and win the game," he said, adding: "We still feel it's [the title] in our own grasp at this minute." He warned: "It'll be a strong game."
The numbers underline why. Celtic arrived on a five-game winning streak across all competitions after beating Hibernian last weekend in one account, and Daizen Maeda had scored four goals in his last three matches. Rangers carried their own recent history into the fixture: unbeaten in their previous 16 Scottish Premiership fixtures before the post-split campaign in one account and unbeaten in their last six league clashes with Celtic — a run that included three wins and three draws and back-to-back victories at Parkhead.
But formlines were jagged. Rangers had lost to Motherwell and Hearts before the match in one account — the specific defeats recorded elsewhere as 3-2 to Motherwell and 2-1 to Hearts — and the loss to Hearts last week was described as damaging. Danny Röhl played down any extra build-up, saying: "Nobody needs extra motivation to go in this game." Yet he had not beaten O'Neill this season, across a league draw and two cup defeats.
Injuries and selection added immediacy. Celtic were managing a list of absences that included Colby Donovan, Julian Araujo, Kasper Schmeichel, Callum Osmand, Adam Montgomery, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota. Rangers were expected to be without Bailey Rice with a muscle problem. In team news cited before the match, McCowan started for Celtic while Raskin was absent for Rangers and Antman started for Rangers.
The tension was simple and sharp: a Celtic win would all but hand them control of the title race with three games to play; defeat would leave Hearts and the remaining fixtures to decide the outcome. For Rangers the stakes were Continental as well as domestic — victory could keep them on track for second place and Champions League qualifying, while defeat would consign them to third place and the Europa League in one account, their first third-placed finish since 2018 in another.
There is a clear line to draw from the facts. Celtic have form, a striker firing and, as O'Neill put it, the title "in our own grasp at this minute." Rangers have pedigree against their rivals and recent wins at Parkhead to remind them they are not overmatched. Which side carries the momentum out of Celtic Park will determine not just who lifts the trophy but which European path both clubs walk next season.
