The Old Firm -- the name alone is enough to get the pulses racing but add some serious trophy-shaped stakes to it, and we can take the excitement up a notch. Celtic host Rangers this Sunday with one eye on their great rivals and another on Hearts of Midlothian, who lead the Scottish Premiership with three games to go in the Championship round.
Here's everything you need to know about the blockbuster game:
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football in the UK, CBS in the U.S.and BeIN Sports in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Sunday, May 10 at 12 p.m. BST (7.00 a.m. ET and 9.00 p.m. AEST).
Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow
Referee: Nick Walsh
Injury and Team News:
Celtic
Colby Donovan, D: hamstring, OUT
Julián Araujo, D: thigh, OUT
Kasper Schmeichel, GK: shoulder, OUT
Callum Osmand, F: hamstring, OUT
Adam Montgomery,D: calf, OUT
Cameron Carter-Vickers, D: achilles tendon, OUT
Jota, F: ACL, OUT
Rangers
Bailey Rice, M: muscle, OUT
Talking Points:
Celtic's chasing Hearts (and the title)
High flying Hearts are three points ahead of Celtic and play Motherwell on Saturday evening -- meaning, by the time the Old Firm kicks off, Celtic could well be six points behind the league leaders. With just three games to go, a slip up is the last thing Celtic can afford -- and that means this becomes a must-win derby, and not just for rivalry reasons.
They come into the game in the right frame of mind -- winning their last four matches (the best recent form in the top six). Martin O'Neill, whose return to the hot seat sparked this late push for the title, told Celtic TV ahead of the game, "The mood is pretty buoyant for a start, that's the most important thing."
O'Neill's influence has been clear for everyone to see. In fact, the only other time Celtic won four or more matches in a row this season was in October to December in O'Neill's first spell in charge (five wins on the trot). Can O'Neill make it five in a row in his 28th Old Firm derby?
Ranger's motivation? Keeping Celtic away from a record-breaking title
O'Neill also spoke about Rangers: "You can't be leading that league for that length of time and not have something and they did. It seemed as if it spooked Rangers a little bit." And that's Rangers' issue. Two losses in their last two games (the last being to Hearts themselves), means they are virtually out of the title race, sitting as they are three points behind Celtic and six behind Hearts. If Hearts win on Saturday, Rangers are out of the title race.
Danny Rohl's side lost 2-1 to Hearts in a tense encounter at Tynecastle Park on Monday and if results go against them on Saturday, they will have to pick themselves up because this is the one fixture both sets of fans demand they win.
For Rangers, the added motivation would be denying their great rivals a chance to put pressure on Hearts and get closer to a record-breaking 56th league title (both Rangers and Celtic are tied on 55 right now). And that should make this Old Firm particularly spicy.
What do the numbers say?
Rangers have recent head-to-head form going for them -- Celtic are without a win in six league meetings with Rangers (D3 L3). The last time Rangers had a longer unbeaten run in the league was between September 1995 and November 1997 (10 games).
In fact, Rangers have won their past two league visits to Parkhead, as many as their previous 19 beforehand (W2 D4 L13).
After coaching Rangers to a 3-1 victory at Celtic Park in January, Danny Rohl could become only the second manager to win his first two away league games against Celtic in charge of Rangers, after Walter Smith (first three from 1991 to 1992).
Youssef Chermiti has scored four in two league appearances against Celtic this season, the most by a Rangers player in a single league campaign since Mark Walters in 1988-89 (also four). Chermiti has a chance to create history: No player has ever scored five against their Old Firm rivals in one league season.
