Two reported defeats in succession have changed the mood around Celtic before the league’s biggest fixture. The League Cup loss means Rangers already have a recent victory over their rivals, while the Europa League setback adds further pressure before Sunday.
Celtic’s priority is to ensure those results do not become a pattern. A strong response would not erase the defeats, but it would shift the focus back towards the title race and prevent Rangers’ earlier success from dominating the build-up.
The report places Rangers one victory away from a six-match winning run, a sharp turnaround from their tough start under McInnes. Completing that sequence against Celtic would give the manager a defining result and turn early uncertainty into a story of recovery.
Form matters particularly in an Old Firm game because confidence can shape the opening exchanges. Rangers can approach Sunday with the belief that their recent run is carrying them forward, while Celtic must show that two setbacks have not weakened their control of the season’s most pressurised fixture.
Recent form provides the clearest storyline, but the Old Firm rarely follows a simple script. Celtic’s League Cup defeat offers Rangers useful psychological evidence; Rangers’ reported winning run gives Celtic an immediate target to disrupt.
By Sunday evening, the result should establish the next narrative. A Celtic victory would halt the reported slide and deny Rangers their sixth win. A Rangers triumph would deepen the pressure on Celtic while giving McInnes a statement result early in his tenure.