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The squads take the field into the noise, Hampden Park separated evenly with blue and green sections. For the opportunity to face St Mirren FC here this December … the action begins.

Additional Fixtures

Additional games: John Brewin is on our minute-by-minute coverage for West Ham v Newcastle in the EPL; Yara El-Shaboury brings the newest developments from the day's opening matches in the Women's Super League.

Regarding our coverage, there's just over five minutes until kick-off at Hampden!

Referee Information

Nick Walsh will referee today. He previously officiated last year's Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers plus a European fixture in the last term during which he issued four red cards and a dozen bookings. Don't cross him.

Dugout Views

Danny Röhl: Despite this being his debut in this fixture, the new Rangers manager has stated clearly in recent days that he's used to participating in other significant derbies during his managerial journey, during his time at Bayern plus his stint at Wednesday.

I can remember during Hansi Flick's appointment, our subsequent fixture took place against Dortmund at our stadium. We triumphed 4-0. It consistently offers motivation when you triumph in such matches. Furthermore, in the EFL Championship during the Steel City derby, I participated there too. I understand the significance to the supporters. This represents more than a simple match.

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

I feel a big respect for such a managerial journey. I consider it consistently remarkable as a manager when you work so long in this field and accomplish your objectives.

I'm only starting out my coaching path. I have a lot of work to do to achieve similar status however the positive aspect we commence evenly matched, separate eras and we'll observe what we can demonstrate with our teams in this encounter.

I am very excited. I've accumulated certain experiences but I expect an enormous event on Sunday. To be part of such a game, the stakes are extremely high. You win, you go into the final, a loss ends your participation. I think everything is on for a magnificent contest.

Opposition Manager

The Celtic manager: The temporary Celtic boss has recently been recalling about his first meeting with Rangers 25 years ago, the famous 6-2 demolition.

Certainly, matching that achievement might be extremely difficult, putting six past them versus that team. I would accept a scrappy single-goal triumph if we could get it. Some lads come up and say to me: 'That was a fantastic encounter', though they weren't alive then. They tell me their grandfathers and fathers spoke about it regularly. It became a really pivotal match for our club, not just that season, but likely for future progress.

The tension for nearly 72 hours before, and subsequently if you achieved victory, tremendous relief. And I think that's what the renowned Walter Smith frequently stated similarly, that comfort surpassed other feelings. However these were magnificent contests really. It's still a fantastic fixture.

This represents an important match for us. Truthfully, don't hide that reality. It's a semi-final, it's a crucial contest for our side. Each encounter between these rivals represents a major event, though especially considering the conditions of the recent days, possibly even months, absolutely.

Coaching Background

Two fresh managers on the sidelines this afternoon though there's a significant difference in derby experience between them. Danny Röhl is experiencing his first as the Rangers boss while Martin O'Neill is about to take charge his twenty-eighth.

The outcome today may substantially affect on the duration O'Neill's second spell as temporary Celtic manager persists, as Ewan Murray has reflected.

The club might spend substantial compensation to persuade Kieran McKenna from Ipswich. They might consider a more significant chance on Robbie Keane. The reigning champions might choose to offer Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen an initial experience of British football. These constitute chances to varying degrees. Even more than O'Neill? This is arguable.

First XIs

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

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

Marcelo Sarrachi starts instead of Kieran Tierney at left-back. James Forrest is also omitted from the starting lineup that overcame Falkirk in their recent match.

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

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

James Tavernier gets the nod instead of Max Aarons on the right, with Mohamed Diomande coming in for the suspended Connor Barron in midfield and Thelo Aasgaard chosen over Mikey Moore in attack.

Opening Context

Hello and welcome to the Old Firm. It ought to be superior {than last time|compared to the previous meeting|versus