ANGE POSTECOGLOU will take charge of Celtic against their city rivals for the eleventh time this afternoon.
On the previous 10 occasions when the Ibrox club have provided the opposition, the 57-year-old Greek-Australian gaffer has won six, drawn two and lost two.
Over the period, the Hoops have claimed 19 goals and conceded 10.
Amazingly, Postecoglou has faced THREE different dug-out opponents – Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and now Michael Beale.
CQN have looked back over our match reports of the previous 10 confrontations to trace the remarkable rise of the Celtic manager.
Here is the story so far.
September 29, 2021:
Rangers 1 CELTIC 0
ANGE POSTECOGLOU made his Glasgow derby debut on the same afternoon as FIVE new players took a bow at Ibrox.
Joe Hart, Josip Juranovic, Carl Starfelt, Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi were all brought in by the new boss in the summer and were lined up for their baptism in a tense confrontation.
The much-changed Hoops had the best opportunity in the first-half, but Odsonne Edouard lamentably missed the target from six yards with just rookie keeper Robby McCrorie to beat.
Postecoglou’s side dominated possession, but all the good work was obliterated in the 68th minute when Filip Helander rose above his fellow-Swede Starfelt to bullet a Borna Barisic right-wing corner-kick beyond the exposed Hart.
TEAM: Hart; Ralston, Starfelt, Welsh, Juranovic; Turnbull (Soro 68), McGregor, Christie; Abada (sub: Montgomery 85), Edouard (sub: Rogic 68), Kyogo.
February 2, 2022:
CELTIC 3 Rangers 0
REO HATATE was the two-goal star of the show as Celtic went to the top of the Premiership for the first time in 18 months at a rocking Parkhead.
The Japanese new Bhoy, who arrived the previous month along with countrymen Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, also set up the third for Liel Abada as Postecoglou’s men flattened their rivals with a breathtaking opening 45 minutes.
Hatate whipped in the opener in only five minutes and repeated the feat before firing over an inviting left-wing cross which was first-timed past the bamboozled Allan McGregor by the Israeli winger.
Celtic went to the pinnacle one point ahead with 14 games to be played.
TEAM: Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; O’Riley (sub: Soro 87), Hatate (sub: McCarthy 72), McGregor; Abada (sub: Forrest 62), Giakoumakis (sub: Maeda 62), Jota (sub: Doak 87).
April 3
Rangers 1 CELTIC 2
CAMERON CARTER-VICKERS pushed Celtic towards their tenth title in eleven years after an epic performance at Ibrox.
Not only did the centre-back score the winning goal that handed the Hoops a six-point advantage with only six games to play, but he put in a defensive masterclass against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s desperate team.
The US international star walloped in the winner three minutes from half-time that could very well turn out to be the game that sees the Parkhead men lift their 52nd flag in their glorious history.
The visitors suffered a setback in only three minutes when on-loan Juventus star Aaron Ramsey knocked a Ryan Kent left-wing cross into the net from close range. Postecoglou’s men rallied magnificently and levelled through Tom Rogic in the seventh minute.
Then came Carter-Vickers’ big moment and the victory paved the way for the crown to head home.
TEAM: Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor (sub: Ralston 71); Rogic (sub: O’Riley 62; sub: Turnbull 77), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Bitton 62); Jota (sub: Abada 77), Giakoumakis, Maeda.
April 17
CELTIC 1 Rangers 2
CELTIC stumbled out of the Scottish Cup in extra-time to blow the dream a domestic treble in Ange Postecoglou’s first season.
It was a bewilderingly lacklustre performance that was settled with an unfortunate own goal from Carl Starfelt in extra-time.
A deflected shot from Greg Taylor handed the Hoops the advantage in the 64th minute and only five minutes later Cameron Carter-Vickers had the ideal opportunity to kill the contest, but the matchwinner at Ibrox a fortnight ago hurried his shot and clattered his effort off the face of the crossbar.
In the 78th minute, Scott Arfield equalised with a curling shot past Joe Hart and only six minutes remained when Starfelt unluckily turned a low left-wing cross from Calvin Bassey into his own net.
TEAM: Hart; Juranovic (sub: Ralston 67), Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor (sub: Welsh 91); Rogic (sub: O’Riley 57), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Turnbull 109); Abada (sub: Kyogo 57), Maeda (sub: Forrest 91), Jota.
May 1
CELTIC 1 Rangers 1
THE championship-winning champagne will have to remain on ice for another week at least after the derby tussle ended honours even at Parkhead.
Celtic will be kicking themselves they did not claim all three points, but there is the consolation of remaining six clear with only three games to go – two at home to Hearts and Motherwell and Dundee United at Tannadice.
Ange Postecoglou saw his team take a 21st-minute lead with an excellent opportunist’s strike from Filipe Jota when he finished off a mesmerising sequences of intricate passing when he got on the end of Daizen Maeda’s left-wing cross to nudge the ball home.
Fashion Sakala levelled in the 67th minute with a low shot that beat Joe Hart at his right-hand post.
TEAM: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; O’Riley (sub: Rogic 61), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Bitton 61); Jota, Kyogo (sub: Giakoumakis 61), Maeda (sub: Abada 73).
SEASON 2022/23
September 3
CELTIC 4 Rangers 0
SWASHBUCKLING champions Celtic swept their Ibrox rivals aside in an awesome performance at Parkhead.
Just like February, the Hoops were 3-0 ahead at the interval while they took total control of the encounter as they surged five points clear after only six games.
It was showtime yet again in Paradise as Liel Abada rattled in a double while Filipe Jota and David Turnbull added the others as the stadium pulsated from start to finish during another demolition derby.
The livewire Israeli international winger thumped in the breakthrough goal in only eight minutes and Jota doubled the advantage just after the half-hour mark with a breathtaking solo goal as he left Connor Goldson in his slipstream before nonchalantly lobbing the ball over Jon McLaughlin.
Abada duly delivered No.3 five minutes from the interval with the visitors just about on their knees and it was all over when Turnbull rolled in the fourth goal in the 78th minute.
TEAM: Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt (sub: Jenz 57), Taylor; O’Riley (sub: Mooy 72), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Turnbull 72); Abada (sub: Maeda 72), Kyogo (sub: Giakoumakis 4), Jota.
January 2 2023
Rangers 2 CELTIC 2
KYOGO FURUHASHI cracked the Ibrox code to score his first goal against the Govan club to give Celtic a draw in the first game of the New Year.
The prolific Japanese hitman has fired blanks against the Ibrox outfit, but came up with the perfect answer to make sure the champions retained their nine-point advantage.
The Hoops had taken an early lead through Daizen Maeda, but some atrocious defending – with substitute Josip Juranovic the main culprit – gifted the home side the advantage after the turnaround.
Ryan Kent and James Tavernier, with yet another penalty-kick, had Michael Beale’s side leading with two minutes of the regulation 90 minutes to play. Time was slipping away and the visitors had already had a stonewall penalty-kick denied when Connor Goldson clearly pushed away a close-range from Carl Starfelt.
Remarkably, neither referee John Beaton nor his VAR assistants reckoned it deserved a second look and the hosts knew they had got away with one.
Justice was down when there was a bit of penalty-box ping pong and the ball fell to Kyogo who simply clipped his 12-yard effort past the scrambling Allan McGregor.
TEAM: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor (sub: Juranovic 21); O’Riley (sub: Mooy 61), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Jota 77); Forrest (sub: Abada 61), Kyogo, Maeda (sub: Giakoumakis 77).
February 26
CELTIC 2 Rangers 1
CALLUM McGREGOR made it a perfect 10 out of 10 as a double salvo from Kyogo Furuhashi fired Celtic to success in the Viaplay League Cup Final at Hampden.
The Hoops skipper was playing in his tenth silverware showdown – and he has won the LOT!
It’s an extraordinary achievement for the 29-year-old midfield mastermind and it was a well-merited, well-fought victory for the holders.
Coincidentally, it was Kyogo with a duo when Ange Postecoglou’s men lifted the same trophy last season when they overcame Hibs 2-1.
The Japanese hitman’s first strike arrived a minute before the interval when he first-timed a low left-wing cross from Greg Taylor past the static Allan McGregor.
Kyogo snapped up a second goal for the holders 11 minutes after the turnaround as he raced in front of Borna Barisic to turn an exquisite low ball from Reo Hatate into the rigging from close range.
Alfredo Morelos squeezed a consolation goal behind Joe Hart in the 64th minute, but it was Celtic who finished the game in the ascendency and Matt O’Riley and Sead Haksabanovic both passed up gilt-edged opportunities with just the keeper to beat.
In the end, it didn’t matter with Celtic lifting the first trophy of the season.
The treble is on!
TEAM: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; Mooy (sub: O’Riley 65), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Iwata 76); Jota (sub: Abada 65), Kyogo (sub: Oh 76), Maeda (sub: Haksabanovic 84).
April 8
April 30
CELTIC 1 Rangers 0
CELTIC are on the brink of a historic treble-winning season after a Filipe Jota header thumped them into the Scottish Cup Final in June.
Ange Postecoglou’s men are zeroing in on a glorious conclusion to an enthralling crusade.
It was the Portuguese maverick who was the difference between the two sides at Hampden this afternoon with a wonderful piece of quick thinking as the interval dawned.
The Ibrox team put in an almighty effort as you would anticipate when you consider their entire season centred on this encounter. But Celtic were not to be derailed as they fought throughout the incessant rain for yet another derby triumph in a superb campaign.
That’s four wins from five derby encounters, including a 2-1 success in the League Cup Final in February, with the Parkhead men showing conclusively who are masters of domestic football.
The Hoops swept into the lead in the 42nd minute after the Ibrox defence fell asleep and paid a heavy penalty. Matt O’Riley moved onto a Callum McGregor short free-kick and got bowled over by Nico Raskin. There was a moment of hesitation with players possibly believing the ref would award a free-kick.
Daizen Maeda played to the whistle, seized onto the loose ball, spun to his right and whipped over a marvellous hanging cross.
Jota raced in as James Tavernier was taken unawares and the Portuguese ace buried a close-range header beyond the exposed McGregor.
The Hoops fans just about raised the roof at the stadium in celebration.
