The SPFL has announced that Celtic’s Hogmanay fixture at Ibrox will have a 12.15 pm kick-off with the match being shown live on Sky TV.
Celtic faced the latest Ibrox club for the first time at the weekend and came out comfortable 5-1 winners and the trip to Ibrox on December 31 will be the first time Celtic have played against the new club at the home of the former Rangers FC.
Substantial damage was done to the away end toilets at Celtic Park on Saturday and there was also damage to seats within the stadium. Celtic have been working on repairing this damage and an invoice will be sent in due course to the Ibrox club.
Celtic will sell their allocation of tickets for the Hogmanay match and if the bill has not been paid by that time, the 5 in a Row Scottish Champions will simply deduct the cost of the damage from the ticket money, with any remaining balance being forwarded to the cash strapped four year old club.
Meanwhile the SPFL has announced that Don Robertson will referee this Sunday future between Inverness CT and Celtic which is live on BT Sport. Kick off is 3.00pm and Celtic will be anxious to continue their 100% start to their league campaign, particularly after the disappointment in the Champions League Group C opener in Barcelona last night.
We noticed too that the SPFL select a team of the week from across the Scottish leagues and three Celts made it into their selection for last weekend.
The three players chosen were Nir Bitton, Scott Sinclair and not surprisingly Moussa Dembele. Here’s what they had to say about the 3 Celts.
NIR BITTON – A real tenacious performance from the midfielder, who is not exactly renowned for such play. That’s the kind of lift an Old Firm derby can give, as Bitton played with real aggression, doing his bit to make life as uncomfortable as possible for the Rangers (sic) midfield and allow Celtic to dominate the area.
SCOTT SINCLAIR – An assist and a goal for Scott Sinclair in Saturday’s derby as the attacker continued his excellent start to life at Celtic. He produced the cross from which Moussa Dembele headed the hosts in front, then scored the crucial third goal when it looked like Rangers (sic) were playing their way back into the match.
MOUSSA DEMBELE – The dream derby debut for the ex-Fulham striker, with a perfect hat-trick netted. Dembele showed great poise and ruthlessness to tuck away chances with both feet after heading Celtic ahead. How do you top a goalkeeper that saves three penalties? By becoming the first player to score three times in an Old Firm (sic) league game in 50 years. This week’s star man.
No Sevco Rangers players were selected, so expect a statement anytime soon!
QUICK QUIZ…How many clubs have you seen Celtic play at Ibrox? Rangers, Raith Rovers, Falkirk, Dundee Utd and on Hogmanay Sevco/Rangers. Any more?
