Celtic have the chance to take a big step towards lifting the Premiership title this afternoon by securing another victory over their Old Firm rivals.
Out of the three previous meetings between the two Glasgow clubs in the current league campaign, Celtic have won the most recent two after losing the first derby of 2021/22 in August.
Heading into this latest clash, it seems as though the Hoops have been handed a potential boost which could well increase their chances of making it three league wins on the bounce in this fixture.
What’s the news?
According to a recent article from the Daily Record, Rangers centre-forward Kemar Roofe is unlikely to be available for today’s showdown due to injury.
Taking into account how the Gers already have Alfredo Morelos ruled out for the rest of the season, seeing Roofe join him on the sidelines will surely be a massive blow for the visitors.
On the flip side, this will be a massive boost for Celtic and their chances of picking up a positive result against their arch-rivals and taking another step towards the Premiership title.
With 21 league goals between the duo this season, not having them able to play on this occasion will surely put Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side on the backfoot in an attacking sense, and it could be great news for Postecoglou.
Also, with the Bhoys having the best defensive record in the league, this should only make it harder for the Ibrox club to get anything out of the game.
In terms of Roofe, he boasts the highest percentage for shots on target (47.7%) out of any Rangers player to have had more than seven attempts at goal.
Taking that on board, it seems as though Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart could have a relatively quiet afternoon in terms of having to make many saves, with both Morelos and Roofe set to miss out.
However, this shouldn’t mean that the rest of the Celtic players should relax. It’s still an Old Firm derby and they can’t afford any slip-ups in terms of potentially dropping points and missing out on the title.
With that in mind, the Hoops manager needs to ensure that his players have their eye on the ball throughout the 90+ minutes and pick up the three points which would take them to the brink of being crowned champions.
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