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Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has confirmed Glasgow Rangers’ Old Firm derby will be allowed to go ahead on Sunday.

Yousaf confirms Old Firm will be played

The Gers’ status as Premiership champions was confirmed on the Sunday before last after Celtic could only draw 0-0 with Dundee United. In the aftermath of that triumph, thousands of Gers supporters took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate, breaking coronavirus regulations in the process.

Yousaf had suggested the match this weekend against Celtic could be cancelled if he did not receive assurances that such scenes would not be repeated (Herald Scotland). However, it appears he is now satisfied after he confirmed the game will be played (BBC).

Sensible

It always felt unlikely that the match would actually be cancelled. After all, there didn’t seem to be any real danger of such scenes being repeated given the game itself is pretty much a dead rubber. Cancelling it may have led to more trouble anyway.

Now, Steven Gerrard and his players can look towards Parkhead as they aim to get back to winning ways. It has been a difficult few days as the fall-out from their Europa League exit at the hands of Slavia Prague continues – an Old Firm game could well be the perfect distraction for them.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Ondrej Kudela footage.

Glasgow Rangers will be without James Tavernier, Kemar Roofe and Ryan Jack once again for Thursday’s Europa League tie against Royal Antwerp.

Steven Gerrard confirmed prior to tonight’s kick-off that the trio have been ruled out due to injury as they will not be able to recover in time to face Antwerp in the last-32 second leg at Ibrox.

As far as team selections go, therefore, it’s unlikely the announcement of the side to face-off against the Belgian outfit will bring with it too many surprises – although we aren’t ruling out a couple of minor tweaks, of course, which is how it should be by this stage.

Here, Football FanCast have predicted Gerrard’s starting XI to take on Antwerp, which sees him make two changes from the 4-1 victory over Dundee United.

One of the easiest predictions to make is that Allan McGregor will start between the sticks for Gerrard’s side. The legendary goalkeeper has established himself as the undisputed first-choice under Gerrard and has started all bar one of their seven Europa League games this season thus far.

In the absence of Tavernier, Leon Balogun is expected to keep his place at right-back, with Borna Barisic on the opposite flank. Connor Goldson will most likely continue his role in the centre of the defence, with Filip Helander selected ahead of Jack Simpson.

If the Gers are to get a result, you feel that their midfield pairing is central to their hopes of qualifying for the next round. In that regard, Gerrard will probably opt for Steven Davis at the base of the midfield, while Glen Kamara comes in for the injured Jack.

Meanwhile, Joe Aribo has been one of Gerrard’s brightest sparks in recent weeks, but we reckon he will shift to the right wing, with Ianis Hagi being forced to make room for the 24-year-old. This means that Scott Arfield will replace Aribo alongside Davis and Kamara in the midfield.

Upfront, there’s no doubting that Alfredo Morelos will get the nod as he looks to add to his underwhelming tally of just two goals in the Europa League so far this term.

AND in other news, Rangers given double injury boost but Steven Gerrard will have to wait…

Mike Ashley should sanction a summer swoop for Newcastle United to sign Norwich City playmaker Todd Cantwell and acquire a second Allan Saint-Maximin type.

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Magpies are monitoring Cantwell’s situation at Carrow Road as they are keen to bring the 23-year-old to St. James’ Park at the end of the season.

Cantwell will enter the final year of his £16,000-per-week contract in June, and is expected to be one of the more sought-after players should the England U21 international not agree on a new deal with the Canaries.

Cantwell’s future in Norfolk is likely to hinge heavily on Daniel Farke leading Norwich to an automatic return to the Premier League, with the midfielder anticipated to prioritise a top-flight future after his promising 2019/20 campaign.

Newcastle remaining a Premier League side will also be a factor in the Tyneside outfit making a move for Cantwell, as well, with his services unlikely to be explored should Steve Bruce fail to maintain the Toon’s current status.

Tottenham Hotspur are also noted to hold an interest in Cantwell, who Leeds United had sought to sign ahead of the current season but refused to up their £15m offer to meet Norwich’s alleged £20m valuation.

It remains to be seen how highly Norwich will value their academy product in the next off-season, and what impact promotion will have on Cantwell’s future, with Farke’s side currently 10 points clear at the top of the Championship table.

Cantwell has started 19 of his 22 second-tier outings this term, scoring four goals and providing four assists while deployed as a left-midfielder for 90% of his outings to date.

Should Newcastle sign Cantwell?

There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Cantwell’s future as Norwich look set to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, with Farke’s men on a seven-game winning run to put distance between themselves and promotion rivals Watford, Swansea City and Brentford.

Newcastle are well and truly in the Premier League relegation dogfight, too, with Bruce’s side just a point above 18th-place Fulham and the drop zone, albeit with a game in hand, having won just two of their last 16 top-flight fixtures.

But should United limp through their final 11 games and stay in the Premier League for another year, Ashley should sanction a move for Cantwell, even though funds are expected to be small.

Doing so could see Ashley bring a second Saint-Maximin type to St. James’ Park, for Cantwell is showing in the second-tier the quick-footed and fast-thinking style that the Magpies star displays week in, week-out in black and white.

Working in small pockets of space to good effect was exactly what Saint-Maximin thrived at against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, having produced a great piece of skill to take on three players and set up Joe Willock before later sustaining a groin injury.

Cantwell – who Darren Huckerby once lauded for always being “the most gifted” player in any side he played for – also found it within himself to bounce back from a complex 2020, having taken responsibility for Norwich’s relegation to go on and lead their promotion push.

If the chance to sign Cantwell is there for Newcastle this summer, Ashley must dig deep into his pocket and present the funds United need to strike a deal for a young, hungry, English talent like this.

AND in other news, Newcastle United eye £2m titan who “makes the people he’s playing with better”…

According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest have submitted a loan-to-buy offer for Celtic transfer target Siriki Dembele, and it could have big consequences for the linked-away Odsonne Edouard.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that Neil Lennon’s side are interested in signing the Peterborough forward, but it appears Championship side Forest have made the first move in the race to sign him.

Football Insider claim that Dembele wants to leave Peterborough this month, and that Forest have made a proposal that would see the 24-year-old join them on a more permanent basis at the end of the season.

The report adds that the bid is worth around £250k for a player who is out of contract in the summer.

Bye-bye Edouard

With Odsonne Edouard’s long-term future at Celtic still very much unclear – reports have claimed the club have slashed his asking price in this January transfer window – Nick Hammond will surely be on the look-out for a potential replacement for the club’s striker.

And in Dembele – the older brother of the Hoops’ very own Karamoko – they could find someone who could well fill the boots of the Frenchman.

Dembele had spent a lot of time playing out wide on the flanks, before Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson made the tweak of moving him infield into the number nine role.

And since then, it’s safe to say he’s been very impressive. This season in League One, he’s played 22 games in total, but 15 of them have come up front. In those games as the Posh’s starting striker, he’s managed five goals and five assists, including a dazzling hat-trick against Shrewsbury.

The tactical switch is something Ferguson has talked up too, saying: “But the boy has been absolutely outstanding since realising he can play as a central striker. He destroyed Ipswich last weekend with a goal and two assists.”

The 5 foot 8 ace would offer Celtic some versatility up front given he can play anywhere across the line, and it’s now up to Hammond as to whether he can get a deal done.

According to Hammers insider and reliable source ExWHUemployee, David Moyes wishes to develop West Ham United’s scouting network behind the scenes ahead of future seasons – with the Scotsman and GSB reportedly deciding to appoint Shane O’Gorman as a scout, who is currently player pathway manager at Leyton Orient. 

The club have already shown strides in developing their potential stars for the future, evident by the signing of young centre-half Frederik Alves, who was scouted from Danish side Silkeborg (West Ham United).

ExWHUemployee shares Moyes plan

West Ham youngster Mipo Odubeko is also displaying huge promise, as evident by the manager’s praise (football.london), with Moyes apparently rating the youngster alongside fellow rising stars like Jamal Baptiste (ExWHUemployee).

Now, in an effort to further aid the club’s youth development, Moyes is allegedly set to appoint O’Gorman as an academy scout following his experience at League Two side Orient – and the new member of staff is expected to arrive in early February.

Indeed, as per ExWHUemployee, there has already been some new appointments in this area at youth level – with Moyes seemingly planning an academy overhaul as he seeks to grow young stars for the future.

Transfer Tavern take

Despite plenty of links to signing a centre-forward, Moyes appears determined to shape the academy and plan ahead for the future – which could come as a good sign for supporters.

The Irons boss has already enjoyed a great season at the Hammers helm so far, with his side sitting pretty in the Premier League top six, but Moyes is refusing to rest on his laurels as he steadily integrates an academy restructure.

In other news: West Ham fans lavished this ace with praise for his performance against Crystal Palace, find out more here.

The power has started to shift from one side of Glasgow to the other as Rangers sit top of the Scottish Premiership with a 13-point gap between them and second-placed Celtic.

Steven Gerrard’s side cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over their arch rivals in the first Old Firm derby of the season and sporting director Ross Wilson could deal another huge blow to Neil Lennon in the transfer window.

According to The Daily Mail, as quoted by The Sun, Rangers are among a group of clubs interested in signing out-of-contract Queens Park Rangers sensation Bright Osayi-Samuel as Lennon has made him a ‘priority signing.’

It’s claimed Rangers, Crystal Palace and Club Brugge are keeping close tabs on his situation after the right-winger was linked with a move to Ibrox last summer.

The 22-year-old’s contract will run out in June, which means that Ross Wilson could land himself one of the bargains of the winter transfer market in the QPR star, as he could sign a pre-contract deal with the club before joining the Glaswegian giants in the summer.

With Brandon Barker’s time at the club all but over, this means that Gerrard will only really have two viable options for one position, although the least said about Jordan Jones, the better.

An injury crisis could quickly cause problems on the left-wing, so the Ibrox boss will need to sign a player who will not only be able to provide cover and competition for the ever-reliable Ryan Kent but someone who will add an alternative in attack.

Therefore, Wilson must strike while the iron is hot to sign a like-for-like replacement and in doing so, he could hit Celtic where it hurts the most.

In 16 appearances in the English Championship so far this season, Osayi-Samuel has scored two goals and supplied three assists, whilst he is averaging 1.3 shots, 1.3 key passes and 3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Barker hasn’t even managed one key pass and one dribble on average per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, as per WhoScored.

Former Rangers and current QPR manager Mark Warburton has heaped praise on his young charge, calling him a “constant threat”, whilst Robins boss Dean Holden admitted his side had no answers for the “outstanding” dynamo after he caused Bristol City all sorts of problems at the start of the month.

Wilson simply must do everything in his power to ensure that Osayi-Samuel is lining up in the light blue rather than the green and white hoops in the near future.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must reward Glen Kamara with a new contract…

Carlo Ancelotti can find Everton’s next Gareth Barry in Sami Khedira after Fabrizio Romano dropped a fresh update on the Toffees’ rumoured pursuit of the Juventus midfielder.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Give Me Sport, Romano has claimed Khedira has been offered to Everton as a free agent as Juventus look to move on from the German.

Khedira has allegedly been offered an 18-month contract at Goodison Park after being deemed surplus to requirements in Turin, where the 2014 World Cup winner has not featured since November 2019 after sustaining a tear in his abductor muscle immediately after recovering from knee surgery.

Khedira has confirmed talks have taken place with Ancelotti over a potential mid-season move to Goodison Park, but Romano understands no official offer has yet been tabled for the £2m-rated midfielder.

“He has been offered to Everton just because he is like a free agent. Juventus are ready to sell him for free, so we can consider him as a free agent ready to leave the club. But at the moment, Everton have not moved to sign Khedira,” Romano told Give Me Sport.

“They are still in a quiet situation on the market. They are not going to make any bid in the next few days so we will see, but at the moment, Khedira is hoping because he has a special relationship with Ancelotti.

“He was with him at Real Madrid, so he always had the dream to play in the Premier League. He was amazing with Real Madrid, with Bayern Munich in German football and Italian football with Juventus. He wants to try the Premier League but at the moment, he has no bid from the Premier League.

“Sami is waiting, he’s hoping for the Premier League bids but Everton, at the moment, have not done anything. He has been offered, so it’s up to Ancelotti, basically.”

Everton’s next Gareth Barry

Everton moving to sign Khedira this month has been widely questioned, with Carton Palmer recently urging Ancelotti to trust the Toffees’ academy over bringing the German to Goodison Park while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast.

Ancelotti ignoring the critics and reuniting with Khedira could see the Italian hire Everton’s next Barry, and share in similar success to Roberto Martinez who initially signed the former England international on loan at 32-years-old back in 2013.

Barry later joined permanently and continued to thrive on Merseyside for years despite entering the twilight seasons of his career, with an incredible EFL Cup performance against Manchester City in January 2016 standing out to Martinez at the time.

“I have never seen a player with such an incredible professionalism as Gareth Barry,” said Martinez, via quotes by BBC Sport. “Gareth is one of those players who gets underrated.

“The reason we have so many developing young players is there are leaders in the mould of Gareth Barry. It is no coincidence when we have Gareth Barry around them. For me, he is one of the best English players ever.”

All in all, Barry spent four years at Goodison Park before joining West Bromwich Albion, where he continued to play for another three seasons before retiring last summer and bringing the curtain down on a career which featured 827 games across all competitions.

Khedira, who turns 34 in April, may not have as many years left in his legs, but could allow Ancelotti to enjoy the same success as Martinez in helping to nurture the up-and-coming players and bringing title-winning experience to Everton.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”…

Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers have enjoyed a near-perfect start to the season as Steven Gerrard’s side embarked on a 17-game unbeaten run prior to their game against Kilmarnock (1st November), dating back to the 1-0 win away at Aberdeen FC.

A midweek win over Lech Poznan in the Europa League extended their winning record to eight wins from eight games so far, having conceded just twice since the 2-2 draw with Hibernian FC.

However, with the transfer market set to re-open in a few months’ time, speculation about Alfredo Morelos’ future at the Ibrox outfit continues to circulate.

According to The Scotsman, Gerrard has admitted that there is no guarantee the star striker will stay for the rest of the season.

Alright, we get it. Let’s face it, the Gers are hardly short of options at the top of the pitch, as they can call upon the services of Cedric Itten, Jermain Defoe, Kemar Roofe and Greg Stewart as well, but they may forever regret their failure to sign Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster in the summer.

The former Liverpool academy graduate was reportedly on Rangers’ radar as Gerrard was keen to reunite with his former charge on loan, whom he had managed during his time in charge the Reds’ U18s.

Brewster, who once earned wages worth £10,000-per-week, bagged 11 goals in 22 games during his loan spell at Swansea City last season, whilst he averaged 2.5 shots per game, via WhoScored, but he found his chances limited at Anfield and ended up joining the Blades in the summer instead for a club-record fee worth £23.5m, which includes both a buy-back and 15% sell-on clause.

The youngster scored seven goals and supplied six assists under Gerrard’s guidance in the 2017/18 season. Who knows what the two would’ve been able to achieve together?

Once hailed as a “real threat” by Swansea City boss Steve Cooper, Brewster was described by the Rangers manager as a “magnificent” talent who is “capable of scoring goals.”

The 20-year-old, who made all the headlines after inspiring England to victory in the U17 World Cup in India, has had a hard time finding his feet at Bramall Lane. However, he clearly has bags of untapped potential, if his statistics are anything to go by.

With recent reports linking Morelos with a move away from Ibrox, they may live to regret not loaning Brewster in if they do not go on to win the Premiership title and Celtic manage to nick it for a 10th season in a row.

AND in other news, Bassey and Morelos start, no Kemar Roofe: Predicted Rangers XI vs Kilmarnock…

Standard Liege have been hit by a huge injury blow ahead of their Europa League clash with Glasgow Rangers at Ibrox on Thursday night.

Star defensive midfielder Gojko Cimirot has been ruled out due to injury in what will be a bitter blow for Les Rouches as he has started their past four games in the Europa League.

Not that he’d like to admit it, but Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has a few problems of his own.

Firstly, Ryan Jack remains a major doubt, whilst Filip Helander and Nathan Patterson are currently self-isolating, and George Edmundson and Jordan Jones are serving seven-game bans after breaching COVID rules to attend a house party last month.

However, Gerrard arguably faces a more urgent matter at the top of the pitch.

Alfredo Morelos remains the club’s first-choice striker but is facing mounting pressure as he has failed to find the back of the net in his last two fixtures in all competitions.

The red-hot Kemar Roofe has deputised for Morelos in recent weeks and could be in contention to start, having bagged four goals and an assist in his past three games.

It could be Roofe’s turn to start upfront after he was left out of the squad that faced Falkirk in the Betfred Cup at the weekend, whilst the rest of the team should pick themselves, with Gerrard short of viable options at the back.

The Ibrox boss was full of praise for the versatile forward after he impressed against Benfica in the Europa League last week.

Scott Arfield gave the Glasgow giants the lead before the 27-year-old doubled the advantage with a powerful effort from the edge of the box.

Gerrard heaped praise on Roofe for his efforts and made no attempt to disguise his delight that he is playing on a regular basis after an injury-stricken start to the season.

“His song is that he is on fire, and at the moment, he is certainly catching fire – he is injury free, he is training and he is repeating games,” he said, as quoted by the club’s official website.

Once described as a “real talent” by his former teammate Barry Douglas, in 12 appearances for the Gers this season, the Jamaican has scored seven goals and supplied an assist in all competitions so far, whilst he is averaging at least one shot and one dribble per game in the Europa League, via WhoScored.

With his latest display still fresh in the mind, he has certainly made a case to lead the line against Standard Liege.

AND in other news, Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe start, no room for Morelos: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Standard Liege…

Overall, Celtic enjoyed a rather fruitful summer transfer window as Neil Lennon brought in no fewer than six new additions.

The likes of Vasilis Barkas, David Turnbull, Alban Ajeti, Shane Duffy, Diego Laxalt and the returning Mohamed Elyounoussi all walked through the door at Parkhead.

However, the Hoops chief did fail to clinch one of his mooted targets with Hammers winger Robert Snodgrass nearly joining the club on deadline day.

The Glasgow Times claimed that a move for the 33-year-old, who is a Bhoys supporter himself, hinged on whether or not the defending Scottish champions could ship out “one or two” players.

In reality, Lennon could probably have done with another wing option, especially if he ever wants to revert back to the 4-2-3-1 he sometimes deploys as the squad depth out there is particularly poor.

On the left, it’s only really Elyounoussi with Mikey Johnston still out through injury whilst on the right, it’s James Forrest’s position to lose with Ryan Christie being able to play wide on the odd occasion.

So it’s not really a surprise to see Lennon opt for a 3-5-2 recently and even less of a surprise to see he wanted Snodgrass.

But now that’s out of the question – until January at least – perhaps the 49-year-old should look to the academy setup and he may well stumble across Cameron Harper, who could be worth unleashing as a back-up choice.

Karamoko Dembele isn’t the only generational talent hiding amongst the Parkhead ranks.

Speaking to Celtic TV last year, the 18-year-old American said: “I feel like I’m quite dangerous, I feel like I’m an exciting player. If I get the ball I can make things happen. So I like to get the ball in dangerous areas and I feel like something in the front three is where I am going to make the most impact.”

Capped at U20 level for USA, Harper could continue his upward trajectory if he’s handed the opportunity to do so by Lennon.

Given the injuries suffered to Ajeti and Odsonne Edouard, his versatility to play all three positions in attack as well at wingback, which could be a valuable threat as the congested campaign rumbles on.

AND in other news, Celtic must secure £5m speed demon who’s a nightmare for defenders in January…