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The players head out into the noise, Hampden Park split down the middle into blue and green. To earn the chance to face St Mirren FC in this stadium this December … it all kicks off.

Additional Fixtures

More matches: John Brewin is on our minute-by-minute coverage for West Ham vs Newcastle in the EPL; Yara El-Shaboury has all the latest from the initial games in the WSL.

As for us, there's just over five minutes until kick-off at the national stadium!

Referee Information

Nick Walsh takes charge today. He previously officiated last year's Scottish Cup final featuring these two rivals and a Europa League match last season where he showed four dismissals and a dozen bookings. Don't cross him.

Manager Insights

The Rangers manager: Although this marks his initial Old Firm, the new Rangers manager has stated clearly this week that he's familiar with taking part in other major rivalries as a coach, at Bayern Munich and with Sheffield Wednesday.

I can remember during Hansi Flick's appointment, our following match took place against Dortmund at our stadium. We triumphed 4-0. It is always a booster if you win such a game. Additionally, in England's second tier during the Steel City derby, I was also part [of it] there. I know what it means among the followers. This transcends ordinary football.

The young coach has been praising 73-year-old Martin O'Neill's longevity.

I have tremendous respect for such a managerial journey. I consider it consistently remarkable for a coach when you work so long in this field and achieve success.

I'm only starting out my professional journey. I have a lot of work to do to achieve similar status however the positive aspect we begin level, different generations and we'll observe what we can contribute through our squads in this encounter.

I am very excited. I've accumulated certain experiences though I anticipate a big, big one during Sunday's match. To be part of such a game, everything is at stake. Victory means reaching the final, a loss ends your participation. I think everything is on for a magnificent contest.

Counterpart Perspective

The Celtic manager: The Celtic interim manager has been reflecting this week about his first meeting with Rangers 25 years ago, the 6-2 'Demolition Derby'.

Well, replicating that might be extremely difficult, netting six times against that side. I would take an unattractive 1-0 win if we could get it. Certain supporters approach and say to me: 'That was a fantastic encounter', though they weren't alive then. They tell me their grandfathers and fathers discussed it frequently. It transformed into a crucial game for us, not merely in that term, but probably for continuing on.

The tension for nearly 72 hours beforehand, and then if you got the result, a great relief. And I think that's what the renowned Walter Smith frequently stated similarly, that relief outweighed other emotions. But they were fantastic fixtures genuinely. It remains a wonderful encounter.

This constitutes a significant fixture for our team. Truthfully, don't hide that reality. It's a semi-final, it's a crucial contest for our squad. Any Celtic-Rangers game constitutes a significant occasion, however specifically because of the conditions of recent times, possibly even months, certainly.

Dugout History

Two different coaches on the sidelines this afternoon though there's a significant difference in rivalry knowledge among them. Danny Röhl is experiencing his first leading Rangers whereas Martin O'Neill prepares to oversee of his 28th.

Today's result could have a major impact on the duration O'Neill's second spell as stand-in Celtic coach persists, as Ewan Murray has been pondering.

They could potentially invest five million pounds in compensation to coax Kieran McKenna from Ipswich. They could take a more significant chance on Robbie Keane. The Scottish champions could decide to provide Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen a first taste within British soccer. These represent risks to varying degrees. Beyond O'Neill? This is arguable.

First XIs

Celtic FC (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Ralston, Trusty, Scales, Sarrachi; McGregor, Engels, Nygren; Maeda, Kenny, Tounekti.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Balikwisha, Yang, Osmand, McCowan, Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Tierney.

Marcelo Sarrachi starts preferred to Kieran Tierney on the left defensive flank. James Forrest is additionally excluded of the XI that beat Falkirk in their recent match.

Rangers (3-4-3): Butland; Djiga, Souttar, Cornelius; Tavernier, Diomande, Raskin, Meghoma; Aasgaard, Chermiti, Danilo.

Substitutes: Kelly, Aarons, Fernández, Rothwell, Antman, Moore, Gassama, Curtis, Miovski.

James Tavernier gets the nod over Max Aarons on the right side, featuring Mohamed Diomande taking Connor Barron's suspended place in midfield with Thelo Aasgaard favored to Mikey Moore in forward roles.

Match Preview

Greetings and welcome to this derby match. It's got to be better {than last time|compared to the previous meeting|versus