Rangers, founded in 2012 and based at Ibrox Stadium, remain the most direct domestic reference point for Celtic supporters. Their recent honours give the modern club its substance: the 2020/21 Premiership title, followed by the 2021/22 Scottish Cup. In total, they have four Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups.
Their squad is valued at around £114.5m by Transfermarkt, with 30 players and an average age of 24. That points to a group built with a fair degree of depth and resale logic, rather than one leaning entirely on experience.
The 2026/27 season has started firmly enough. Rangers sit second in the Premiership with 19 points after eight of 38 rounds, with 25 still to play. Their recent league run is clean: six wins in a row, including a 1-0 win at Celtic and narrow victories over St Mirren, Motherwell, Falkirk and Aberdeen before beating Kilmarnock 3-1.
The scoring has been led by Ryan Naderi with six goals, with Lawrence Shankland on four. At Ibrox, Rangers have averaged 1.5 goals scored and 0.8 conceded per match this season; away from home, 1.3 scored and 0.5 conceded. The margins are not extravagant, but they have been enough.
They have also reached the League Cup semi-finals, while their European qualifying route ended with involvement in the Europa League third qualifying round and the Conference League play-off round. For Celtic, the relevance is straightforward: Rangers are second, in form, and already a live factor in the title race.
📈 Key stats and insights
⚔️ How they compare to Celtic
Compared with Celtic, Rangers trade a small defensive gap for superior recent results: Celtic hold the statistical edge in goals conceded per match and superior away attacking numbers, but Rangers’ run of wins — including direct victories over Celtic — has put them top of the table and exposed how narrow the margins are between the sides.
