The line-ups should be released in the next five minutes, so here’s the early team news.

For Rangers, Thomas Lawrence is a doubt after sitting out the last few matches with a knock, while John Souttar and Neraysho Kasanwirjo are not expected back until later in the month.

Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny could make their returns to the forward line, with Nicolas Raskin likely to andhor midfield.

Celtic will be missing Odin Holm and James Forrest, but there are no new injury concerns after the win over St. Johnstone.

Rodgers will likely go with the same settled back five as he has used for much of the season, though captain Callum McGregor could return to the midfield in a deeper role.

In the forward line, the only ‘likely’ change would be Daizen Maeda coming in for Yang Hyun-Jun.

Rangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Sterling, Propper, Yilmaz; Raskin; Dowell, Diomande, Cortes; Dessers, Danilo.

Celtic XI: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Valle; Engels, Bernardo, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda.

All form tends to go out the window in these derbies, with the recent League Cup final between these two sides providing a 3-3 draw in normal time. With the league leaders 14 points ahead, it’s certainly hard to see them losing, though they may settle for a draw on the day.

When is Rangers v Celtic?

Rangers v Celtic is due to kick off at 3pm GMT on Thursday, 2 January at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 2pm.

If you do not have a Sky Sports subscription, you can buy a NOWTV day pass.

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Brendan Rodgers’ side have been dominant domestically so far this term, having accumulated 50 points before the New Year as well as winning the League Cup final against their old rivals earlier this month.

With much of the focus likely going into the club’s quest to qualify for the next round of the Champions League in January, a win today would go some way to potentially putting the title in their hands come May.

Rangers have struggled in recent weeks in the league, having drawn to Motherwell and lost to St Mirren in their last two matches, and Philippe Clement’s side already look like their title challenge could fail before 2025 even begins, though a win today could put them back into the fight.

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live overage of today’s Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic.

2025 begins with Celtic holding a 14-point lead over their rivals, with Rangers struggling domestically with some poor results this winter.

And we’ll have all the latest news and updates as Rangers look to claw back some ground in the Scottish title race.