Jim Delahunt gives his big Rangers vs Celtic prediction as Ibrox side bid for third Old Firm win in a row
Dundee's win in Gorgie was enough for the Hearts board to pull the trigger on hapless boss Neil Critchley and a 4th win in 6 games can be another massive step towards Premiership survival whatever the outcome of Ross County against Hearts in Dingwall.
2
Simon Murray celebrates
Credit: Alamy
The Staggies host the managerless Jambos off the back of 5 straight defeats which has them staring a third straight play-off in the face and Dundee have a huge incentive to go and beat the Steelmen whatever happens elsewhere.
The Dens Park side had beaten Motherwell home and away before a 2-1 defeat at Dens in February and while the visitors are trying hard to top the bottom six, Dundee can send nominated Murray off to tomorrow's Players' Player Of The Year Awards with another 3 points in the bag.
HIBS and ST MIRREN also make the top 5 from today's Premiership card but with the Chapionship settled last night and few attractive ties in Leagues One and Two, I'm off to England's lower leagues for the final two places in the Acca.
League One READING need Huddersfield to do them a favour by beating Leyton Orient but the Royals have to win their own game at home to Barnsley first and they look a good bet to do just that at 8/11 after winning their last two road trips at Mansfield and Bristol Rovers.
Leyton Orient may well hold on to that final play-off place by making it 6 straight wins at Huddersfield but they lost at home to today's hosts in November and the home side will be keen to end a losing run in front of their own fans for the final time this season.
BRADFORD haven't won any of their last 4 games as they've looked to secure the third and final automatic promotion place in League Two but they've drawn two of those matches and can finish with a much needed win over Fleetwood at 4/9.
The Bantams could falter and still go up if Wallsall's end of season collapse continues at Crewe but this is a glorious chance to get the job done at a banker price for Graham Alexander's players and the champagne is surely on ice at Valley parade.
Today's 12.pm kick-offs in the Championship are laced with tricky scenarios for punters to ponder but I'm going to suggest a treble with BRISTOL CITY, BURNLEY and SHEFFIELD UNITED all taken to win and pay out at better than 5/1 with most firms.
Bristol City need to beat Preston to be absolutely sure of securing a play-off place but the Robins have been in excellent form at Ashton Gate and relegation threatened Preston arrive after losing their last 4 matches by 2-1 margins.
Burnley are going all out for the title now that promotion has been secured alongside Leeds United and with the Elland Road side away to all but relegated but still battling Plymouth, defensively sound Burnley look rock-solid at 4/7.
Celtic fans demand 'build him a statue' after Daizen Maeda trolls Rangers during four-in-a-row title party
Sheffield United appear to be over their late season wobble as they're set to finish third and the Blades will want to maintain their winning mentality at 17/20 against visiting Blackburn after 2 wins and a narrow defeat at Burnley in their last 3 matches.
The home side can make sure they don't face Blackburn in the play-offs by ending Rovers' 4 match winning run today and that could leave the way clear for Frank Lampard's COVENTRY to secure that place by beating Middlesbrough at 11/10 although defeats for Millwall and Blackburn would make that task attainable with a draw.
European football has forced most of the key Premier League matches on to tomorrow and West Ham's match with Spurs strikes me as draw material at a general 27/10.
Manchester United's trip to Brentford and Liverpool's match at Chelsea look worth a swerve but NEWCASTLE should be firing on all cylinders in the 2pm kick-off at Brighton and look the Sunday best at 13/10.
Saturday SINGLE
CARLISLE have been relegated to the National League despite some excellent end of season results and I'm backing them to dent Salford's play-off hopes with a home win at 4/1.
Weekend ACCA
Dundee 6/5
Hibs 3/4
St Mirren 8/5
Reading 8/11
Bradford 4/9
5 homes across 3 divisions this week and the Saturday 3pm acca pays out at 23/1.
RANGERS V CELTIC Sunday 12noon Sky Sports
Rangers get one last chance to give their home fans something to celebrate this season but their home form has been awful for a while now and Celtic could be in the mood to pile on further Ibrox misery.
Rangers haven't won any of their last SIX matches at Ibrox since a 4-0 win over Ross County on February 2 and they'd actually lost a club record five in a row before their goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao.
2
Ianis Hagi celebrates his goal in the previous Ibrox clash
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
Throw in the fact that Rangers haven't won ANY of their last 5 matches and you can see why Gers are available at 27/10 with my win selections CELTIC at 17/20.
HIBERNIAN V DUNDEE UTD
Hibs long unbeaten league run came unstuck at the 18th hurdle at Pittodrie last week but they're back at Easter Road against United where they've won 8 of their last 9 games.
I fancied David Gray's side to beat the Dons but they looked to be heading for a well deserved point when Kevin Nisbet produced his moment of magic and an appreciative Easter Road crowd can play its part here.
United found themselves hosting Celtic's title party last weekend but they might still be in the race for 4th if Aberdeen lose at St Mirren and HIBS can stay in the driving seat for third with a win at 3/4.
ST MIRREN V ABERDEEN
Saints landed my 14/5 draw tip with their 2-2 share of the points at home to Rangers last week and I'm backing Stephen Robinson's side to repeat November's 2-1 win here and make it 3 in a row after a 3-0 win at Pittodrie.
Mark O'Hara and Conor McMenamin scored successive equalisers for Saints against Rangers and a glaring miss from Mikael Mandron might have added another nought to the striker's new contract signed this week.
Nisbet will have to be fully shackled by Richard Taylor and Alex Gogic but Robinson's worked another miracle in getting ST MIRREN into the top six and the unshackled Paisley side can win this at a generous 8/5.
ST JOHNSTONE V KILMARNOCK
The Perth Saints have been holding up the bar in the last-chance saloon for weeks now but the win over Celtic was an oasis in the desert and today is surely a must-win.
St Johnstone have actually won 2 of their 3 meetings with Kilmarnock this season and current home form points towards this being a winnable fixture at a general 2/1 despite their current predicament.
Kilmarnock produced when they had to against Ross County last weekend but their road form has been desperate with 6 straight league defeats dating back to December and the home win looks the value.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Anna Nordqvist: I've been through hell — golf isn't so important now
Anna Nordqvist does not mind admitting that, after coming through some of the toughest challenges in her life, captaining Team Europe in next year's Solheim Cup is not only a welcome distraction but a dream come true. Three years ago, her world came crashing down when she received news at a tournament in South Korea that her husband, Kevin McAlpine, had died suddenly. McAlpine, 39, was an LPGA caddie and son of the former Dundee United goalkeeper Hamish. Nordqvist had revealed on social media the pair were going through a divorce, but the tragic news prompted her to return immediately to the United States. 'You get married and plan for a future, and then you see it shatter into a thousand pieces,' she said. 'I've dealt with a lot of emotions and been through hell and beyond. I hope no one ever has to go through what I did.
South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Ynysddu rugby team fundraising to play in Premiership
Theo Rushton-Marsh, who plays for Ynysddu BG Women, described her journey with the club as life-changing and is now fundraising to help cover the costs of competing at this level. She said: "I was so nervous about what our next chapter had in store for us. "But what I didn't know was that only down the road, at Ynysddu RFC, was the group of women who were going to completely change my life." The team secured an unbeaten Championship season to earn promotion to the Premiership for the 2025/26 season, and will now play in the top flight of Welsh women's rugby for the first time in the club's history. But Theo says the step up comes with major financial challenges. She said: "Competing in a women's National League means playing games with 10-hour return travel times, paying thousands per game for minibuses because we compete on Sundays, taking out private health insurance because it isn't covered by the club, increasing out-of-training fitness work because we all work full time, and purchasing league-appropriate kit, which for example would cost over £10,000 for just a 23-player team alone, and we have over 30 players registered." Theo has chosen to use her personal sponsorship appeal to raise awareness and funds for Platfform, a mental health charity working across South Wales. She said: "Platfform is a mental health charity that focuses on social change and community as driving factors for improving the wellbeing of those struggling by building authentic connection. "As a service provider, they work to keep people from homelessness, offer therapeutic alternatives to hospitals, and facilitate community projects and meetings." The fundraising has special meaning for Theo, who has spoken openly about her own mental health journey and the role rugby has played in her recovery. She said: "Throughout the years I have been playing rugby I have made multiple attempts on my life, been involuntarily committed to various in-patient stays, and was prescribed around ten medications to 'deal' with the symptoms of ill mental health that I was experiencing without truly addressing the causes. "I do not know where I would be today without rugby and my ever-changing and growing support system." Theo hopes the community will get behind her and the team as they step onto the Premiership stage. She said: "If you don't want to donate because my club is awesome and women's rugby is underfunded and expensive, and if you don't want to donate to support getting the amazing charity Platfform some free advertising, donate because I really love playing rugby with this team and I would really appreciate your support in getting myself to the Premiership through community fundraising. "I know money is tight right now and everything is just so expensive. But if you can spare anything to support me and Ynysddu BG Women – we will go and do our best to win the whole thing again." Donations are accepted through Theo's Go Fund Me page.
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Celtic vs St Mirren: Visitors aim to spoil the party as Hoops hope to celebrate flag day with victory
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELTIC will begin the defence of their Scottish Premiership title at home to St Mirren on Sunday. Hoops legend Paul McStay will unfurl the flag at Celtic Park before kick off after their success last season took their tally to 55 league trophies. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up It extended Celtic's title winning run to four as they finished 17 points clear of fierce rivals Rangers. St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson though insists they are not there to make up the numbers. The Buddies came within minutes of an upset on the final day of last season against Celtic before James Forrest struck an injury-time equaliser. It continued his remarkable success of scoring in 16 consecutive seasons. Celtic played seven friendlies over the course of last month, with standout victories over Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle United. They wrapped up their pre-season schedule with a penalty shoot-out win over Saudi Arabia side Al-Ahly in the Como Cup last week. But Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to strengthen the squad to replace the goals lost after the departures of Nicolas Kuhn, Kyogo and Matt O'Riley over the past 12 months. And fans are frustrated too with what they see as a lack of transfer activity. Meanwhile, Saints have punched above their weight in recent seasons securing three top-six finishes in the last three years. Stephen Robinson's men have made a promising start to the new campaign, qualifying for the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup after victory against Ayr Utd last weekend. They'll host Hearts later this month but for now the focus is on league action as the Premiership returns this weekend. When does Celtic vs St Mirren kick-off? Celtic face St Mirren on Sunday, August 3 The match takes place at Celtic Park. It kicks off at 4.30pm Don Robertson is the referee and Greg Aitken is on VAR duties Is Celtic vs St Mirren on TV? Can I live stream it? Celtic vs St Mirren has been selected for live TV coverage by Sky Sports It'll be shown live on Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event and Celtic TV. Coverage gets underway on Sky channels after the Falkirk vs Dundee United game. Sky Sports subscribers can live stream the match via Sky Go The match is also available to watch with a one-off Now TV subscription You can also follow every kick with SunSport's LIVE match blog Latest team news Jota is out for the hosts and won't be back until after the new year after rupturing his cruciate ligament. Swedish star Benjamin Nygren, signed in a cut-price deal from Nordsjaelland, is in contention to make his debut for Celtic whilst there also could be second league debut for Kieran Tierney. Japanese striker Shin Yamada could feature as well but the game is likely to come too soon for Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who is on the verge of joining from Manchester City on loan. For the visitors, Robinson has made nine summer signings as well as bringing back Roland Idowu and Killian Phillips. But he says not all of them will be in contention for starts on Sunday. Richard King though is expected to make his Buddies league debut at centre-back after joining from Cavalier FC in the Caribbean. Latest odds* Celtic 2/11 Draw 7/1 St Mirren 16/1 *odds as of Friday, August 1. 22:30
