Rangers have climbed 19 places in the global power rankings following Sunday’s dominant 3-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final victory over Celtic at Ibrox Stadium.
Derek McInnes implemented a high-intensity pressing scheme to dismantle the visitors, with captain Daniel Neil scoring twice alongside a Kevin Kelsy strike. Attention now shifts to replicating that physical blueprint away from home.
The weekend’s cup tie exposed significant vulnerabilities in the visiting setup, highlighting tactical disarray across their midfield. As preparations accelerate for the rematch, the Scottish FA has already confirmed the officiating team who will oversee Sunday’s league fixture.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill admitted his squad struggled to cope with the aggressive approach. Speaking to the Guardian, O’Neill said: “We were well beaten in the end, on the day we were second best.”
Opta Global Rankings Update
The consecutive victories over St Mirren and Celtic moved Rangers to 240th in Opta’s daily index. The Ibrox side trail their rivals, who sit 147th.
McInnes cautioned that the cup triumph guarantees nothing ahead of the looming league test. Telling rangers.co.uk, the manager added: “For us it is good that we have beaten a strong team like Celtic, but it is no more than that really because we have to go and do it all again next week.”
The two sides meet at Celtic Park for their Premiership fixture on 20 September.
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