Rangers and Celtic Face Injury Concerns Ahead of League Cup Derby

Rangers and Celtic will meet in the first Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday, September 14, with both clubs facing significant injury challenges ahead of the Scottish League Cup quarterfinal at Ibrox. The match comes as both teams secured narrow 1-0 victories in their midweek Premiership fixtures. Rangers manager Derek McInnes confirmed that two of his players have undergone surgery. Lawrence Shankland is expected to be sidelined for up to four months with a hamstring injury, while Daisuke Yokota has had surgery on a groin problem. The club will also be without Youssef Chermiti, who is recovering from an ACL injury sustained last month, and Tuur Rommens, who has a separate groin issue. Kosta Nedeljkovic is closing in on a return but is not expected to be available. Celtic's injury list includes Landon Emenalo, Jota (ACL), HyunJun Yang, Callum Osmand (ankle), and Alistair Johnston (hamstring). However, defender Cameron Carter-Vickers returned to training on Friday after missing the win over St Johnstone due to soreness. The primary concern for Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is the fitness of midfielder Mika Baur.