We don’t have to wait too long into 2026 for the first Old Firm of the year as Celtic and Rangers will meet on Saturday at Celtic Park at 7:30 a.m. ET, (catch all the action on CBS Sports Network). But it’s also a strange Old Firm, not only are both teams on their second manager of the year, but for the first time in recent memory, someone other than Celtic are leading the league entering the new year.
How to watch Celtic vs. Rangers, odds
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 3 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Celtic Park — Glasgow, Scotland
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Odds: Celtic -105; Draw +290; Rangers +290
You have to roll back the clock to 1985 for when a Sir Alex Ferguson led Aberdeen were the last team not named Celtic or Rangers to win the league in Scotland, but thanks to set piece dominance, Hearts are leading the league at the moment, with Celtic three points behind and chasing. The Bhoys have turned to Wilfried Nancy to right the ship, hiring him on December 4 from the Columbus Crew, and it has been a tough transition with him only winning one of his five matches in charge of the club.
Falling in the Scottish League Cup final to St. Mirren, Celtic have already missed out on one chance at silverware and could see the league slip away after winning the title for four consecutive seasons. Oh, and your biggest rivals are around the corner. With all that together, it should come as no surprise that pressure is mounting on Nancy to turn things around, as time waits for no one, especially when you’re expected to win the title. Nancy asked for time in his pre-match press conference, but that doesn’t exist with Rangers and Hearts both on the schedule in January.
“In context, I knew this kind of situation could happen. I need time. Give me time, and you will see my team. You are going to see what I am going to do because you can see already what I did before,” Nancy said during an almost seven minute monologue.
“I didn’t start [in coaching] yesterday. If you do your job you will see the way I want to play, the way I defend, the way I want to attack; it is clear. It is totally normal that you guys, you kill me. I am fine with that. I am totally fine with that because I know where I want to go. Judge me in a few weeks, months.”
He’s right that in previous stops with CF Montreal and the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer that he has turned those teams into winners, and he rarely lost matches for extended periods but Scotland offers a new challenge for him. Not only does Nancy now need to turn around a team with no preseason and come from behind to win the title while also taking part in the Europa League, but he also needs to cope with the pressure that comes with managing one of the biggest clubs in the world.
It doesn’t get much bigger than the Old Firm as far as rivalry matches between teams go. Taking place since 1888, this series has featured 488 meetings and has been balanced with each club winning 171 times. Even during down seasons, a win in the Old Firm will provide bragging rights that go a long way to lifting morale but in that same vein, a loss during a down period is what can get a coach fired.
Celtic haven’t been slow to make changes when needed, and while Nancy is a manager who enterd being held in high regard, a lopsided loss to Rangers at home could lead to more changes. Celtic have added to the squad, acquiring right back Julian Araujo on loan from Bournemouth, but just like Nancy, he hasn’t been with the club long and will need to make an impact out of the gate.
It’s all at stake on Saturday, and if Nancy is going to have a long tenure in charge of the Scottish club, the time is now to get his second win in charge of the club.
