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If the bookmakers are calling it right, Phillipe Clement may as well send out the kids to play at Celtic Park on Sunday because his main men don’t stand a chance. The odds-layers - 27 different firms - are not just going with Celtic to win the first Old Firm clash of the season, they’re going with Celtic to win with plenty to spare.
Every last one of them have Brendan Rodgers’ team as odds-on favourites - no great surprise given they have only one loss in 12 and that was a meaningless thing at Ibrox when they were already champions. Clement’s ‘no-hopers’ are available at 4-1, a huge price in a two-horse race. Clearly, the professionals think that one of the horses is lame. Such is the confidence behind a Celtic victory that the bookmakers make Mikey Johnston more likely to score than any Rangers player. This is Mikey Johnston who now plays for West Brom. For a fixture that has a reputation for wild unpredictability, the Old Firm tussle has become samey. Callum McGregor dominates, Kyogo Furushashi scores, Rangers fight back, but Celtic win. Genuine surprises don’t happen much any more. Expect it to be close again, but expect the same winner as before, too. Three times last season Celtic went into a 2-0 lead and looked to all the world that they were going to make it more, only for Rangers to rally and make a game of it.Whatever you say about Rangers’ inability to win these matches, they’ve shown a habit of staying in them, even when down to 10 men, as they were in two derbies last season.Rodgers is the king of all he surveys when it comes to days like this. With a track record of only one defeat in 18, he’s got the best stats of any of his predecessors.Rodgers spoke on Friday about Celtic’s work-rate and the strength of their pressing game and how these things are well ahead of where they were this time last season. It’s hard to argue with that. In three league games, there’s only been three shots on target on their goal. St Mirren’s expected goal stat against them was 0.14, Hibs’ 0.1 and Kilmarnock’s 0.2. In the early games of this season, Celtic look a whole lot tougher to trouble than they did for large parts of last season. Matt O’Riley has gone, of course. In a short space of time, O’Riley became a totem of this contest and his influence will be missed. Arne Engels has come in as a record signing from Augsburg. Classy, versatile and 20-years-old, the Belgian looks like being an excellent addition. A midfield three of Engels, McGregor and Reo Hatate will take hold soon enough, but will Rodgers go that way from the start on Sunday? Unlikely. Paulo Bernardo, McGregor and Hatate with Engels and Luke McCowan in reserve is still a pretty exciting landscape. Rodgers has more options now. New signing Auston Trusty played in 32 Premier League games for Sheffield United last season.Liam Scales has done a stellar job for Celtic, but Trusty hasn’t been signed to warm the bench and Alex Valle has not been brought in on loan from Barcelona to kick his heels. He is going to put the heat on Greg Taylor. Adam Idah is a terrific alternative to Kyogo. McCowan, one of the best midfielders in the country, is a bonus signing. This is where Rodgers has wanted to be for a year and Celtic fans will be sated at the moment. The club has spent money. Some ambition has been shown.Eleven players have come in with 11 going out. Or 13 if you count the ending of loan deals from last season. Or 20 if you include players they themselves have loaned out.The Rangers manager is under pressure. A gap of two points could become five if things go wrong at Celtic Park. A five-point deficit after four league games is not where any Ibrox boss wants to be. Clement hasn’t won any of his four Old Firm games. Moral victories don’t count. A 3-3 at home is the best he’s done. He’s been fighting fires for months. The Ibrox debacle, the pre-season losses, the exit of established players, the pantomime around Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi, and the challenge of amending his team on a tight budget.He needs a big win and you wonder if he’ll tempted to throw something different at Celtic. Namely new signing Nedim Bajrami, freshly arrived from Sassuolo. Albania finished the Euros with just one point, but their performances were eye-catching. They lost 2-1 to Italy, drew 2-2 with Croatia and lost 1-0 to Spain. Bajrami started each of them. Against Italy, he scored the fastest goal in the history of the Euros. He can play in the 10 role that Clement likes so much and he can play wider on the left. An interesting customer.For Rangers, it will be a question of being ruthless while trying to disrupt McGregor’s authority, The Celtic captain is usually the guy with the highest passing accuracy, the most touches and by far the greatest significance. For all the newcomers who might appear on Sunday, it’s the relative old-timer who may well call the shots. Rinse and repeat, as they say.An epic tale of seduction, blood and immortalityWhat now for Clarke as Scotland's ongoing deterioration continues?'Never grow up, Joe' - England's Peter Pan plays RootballSpectacular opening ceremony ignites Paris Paralympics'When I win the ball, I'm happy' - who is incoming Man Utd midfielder Ugarte?
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