Celtic will know that they will have a game on their hands when they come up against the Rangers at Parkhead this weekend. After a 3-0 win over Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side at home in February and then a 2-1 win over them in their own backyard earlier this month, it had looked like the tide had started to turn back in the favour of the Hoops in the rivalry between the two Glasgow giants.

But then, the Rangers managed to bounce back from back-to-back Glasgow Derby defeats with a 2-1 win over Celtic in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.

Both sides have won two each this season and thus, when they meet at Parkhead this weekend, it will be the rubber match and could also have major implications on the fate of the Premiership trophy. Heading into the game, Celtic have a 6 point advantage over the Rangers, with just 4 more league games to go and are very much in the driver’s seat in the title race. But we all know how quickly things can change in football.

Celtic have been handed one major injury boost ahead of the Glasgow Derby though. As reported by The Scotsman, Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Nir Bitton will be available for Sunday’s game against Rangers.

Bitton available vs Rangers in a massive boost for Celtic

Bitton has not been a regular in the starting XI for Celtic for the majority of the campaign but he remains a key part of the team, especially with Reo Hatate going through his fair share of struggles at the moment.

It is very possible that the result of the Scottish Cup semi-final could have turned out differently if Postecoglou had Bitton available on the day to bring off the bench and solidify things in the middle of the park. Celtic had led till the 78th minute on the day. His experience could have come in handy as well.

Bitton has not been in the squad for the past couple of games although it has never been clearly explained why. What matters the most right now though is the fact that he is back available and hopefully, he can play a part against the Rangers on Sunday.