RANGERS have a better chance in Sunday’s Old Firm game than any of the previous encounters since they got back to the top flight, carrying momentum and belief.
They are the top-scoring team in the league, winning their last six games and racking up 23 goals in the process. However, Celtic will be the real acid test of where Graeme Murty’s side currently are.
They have proven that they can attack, they can score goals. They can definitely hurt Celtic. What they need now is the genuine belief that they can win.
Read more: Erik Sviatchenko believes calm heads in Celtic's ranks will prevail at Ibrox
In past games, they might have been saying all the right things, but how many of those players actually, from the bottom of their hearts, believed that they were good enough to beat the champions?
I actually feel that within the changing room, for the first time, they will believe they can do it. The cheering after the cup draw paired them with Celtic showed that, even if I wouldn’t have been talking about it if I was the manager. Murty should have been playing that down, because every Rangers fan you talk to is talking their chances up. That could play right into Celtic’s hands. There is a psychological shift going on right now, and it’s almost as if the Rangers supporters are the more confident going into the game. Based on all the evidence though, I still believe that Celtic will win the match.
Celtic are still a better team, and they have better players. If Celtic turn up, which they tend to do when these big questions have been asked domestically, they will win.
Read more: VIDEO: Rangers legend Derek Johnstone previews Sunday's clash with Celtic
It’s often underplayed in Old Firm games, but there are a number of interesting tactical battles that will go a long way to deciding the outcome. For Rangers, the key word should be discipline. Can they show the required discipline in the heat of the moment in an Old Firm game?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brendan Rodgers going with a back four, with Kieran Tierney and Scott Sinclair down the left. The Englishman might not be a certain starter, but I think he will make the line-up because those two have ripped Rangers apart so many times down that side. On the other hand, I thought that James Tavernier had his best performance in an Old Firm game in the last meeting at Celtic Park. He imposed himself on Tierney, and having Daniel Candeias in front of him is definitely helping, because the winger puts in a shift going back the way. They have struck up a good relationship, so that’s going to be a massive battle.
On the other side, Jamie Murphy plays if he is fit. I don’t think you can have Jason Cummings on the left, Josh Windass in the hole and Alfredo Morelos up front. I don’t think the discipline would be there to stop Celtic. As much as Murphy likes to attack, he doesn’t mind helping out defensively. Andy Halliday has come in at left-back for Rangers, and there will be a question mark over whether they bring Declan John straight back in after injury. James Forrest, for me, is the best player in Scotland right now. If it is Halliday, can he show the defensive instincts to stop Forrest taking him on down that side?
The centre of midfield is another key battleground. Scott Brown likes to dictate Old Firm games, and you would expect him to be in direct opposition to Windass. We know the goal threat Windass has, but will he do the other side of the game, and stop Brown dictating play?
Rangers also have two players in the midfield who have never played in an Old Firm game. Sean Goss is a nice footballer, but he wants time on the ball, and he isn’t going to get it. Greg Docherty has been brilliant since he arrived at Rangers, but in his first Old Firm game against the powerhouses in Celtic’s midfield, can these guys avoid being overrun? They were overrun by Hibs recently, with Scott Allan destroying Rangers in that little hole. If Tom Rogic or Callum McGregor are in there, they will have to be policed a lot better than Allan was.
Read more: David Bates confident he can help Rangers extend Celtic striker Moussa Dembele's barren Old Firm run
It would be wrong of Murty to change his approach. Rangers are at home, they have to take the game to Celtic, but they then have to make sure that when they are attacking they are ready for being countered. That will be a massive part of the game.
If Rangers do start to be quite expansive and are moving forward in numbers, they have to ensure they aren’t caught cold when Celtic win possession. The lack of pace in the centre-half position for Rangers will then come into play, whoever they select, because Moussa Dembele is quicker than them all.
It should be a great game, and it is a huge moment for Murty. A win here could go a long way to getting him the job at the end of the season. From Celtic’s point of view, they will have won the league if they win this game, so there is plenty of motivation on both sides. I just fancy that Celtic will come out on top in a high-scoring game.
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