Even Neil Lennon’s press conferences seem quieter than before.

If there is a desire to keep the headlines at bay, there will be no complaints if he finds himself splashed across the back pages on Monday morning. For the right reasons, of course.

If the interim Celtic manager’s mask slipped with an emotional celebration a fortnight ago with a 95-th minute winner at Dens Park, it is nothing to how it might fall with a win over Rangers tomorrow afternoon.

Lennon sought to play down the pressure and focus on the game in terms of his own current interim role, but there is little question that the manner of the performance tomorrow will be viewed through the prism of his suitability with regards to a permanent job in the dug-out.

The 47-year-old’s history goes before him in this fixture. Indeed, some of the most arresting images of the games through the years have Lennon firmly front and centre; Martin O’Neill with a defiant arm slung around the shoulders of the midfielder in his playing days after one ugly afternoon, being sent to the stand at Ibrox in his first managerial role at the club while Lennon’s spat with Ally McCoist caused such an uproar it made it all the way to the Scottish Parliament.

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This is Lennon’s first game against Rangers since 2012 – a 3-0 win in his favour – with significant changes since then. Least of all in Lennon himself.

“I’m probably a lot calmer this time. I’m more experienced and a little less hot headed,” he said. “I’ll just let the game take its course and try to help everybody keep their emotions in check as you can get carried away as we’ve seen before. I think a lot of the players will have their own self-motivation for this game after the defeat at Ibrox.

“It will just be a question of reminding them of their good habits. We need to start the game well I think. We have to earn the right to play as well. The cushion helps. There’s not question of that. We know if we win it’s a huge gap. If we lose it’s still comfortable but we’re not trying to think of that eventuality obviously.

“The motivation is to win and win well and take it from there as quickly as we can.”

If controversy seems to be a prerequisite where these games are concerned, it might make for an awkward start to the week.

Lennon and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard became neighbours this summer, not that there has been too much community camaraderie between them these past few months. Nor has there been any requirement for the getting-to-know-you small talk.

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Lennon and Gerrard barely crossed paths in their respective careers, yet Lennon will feel that he has little need to serve notice of his presence. As a Celtic player he was part of the side who put Gerrard’s Liverpool out of the UEFA Cup in 2003, as Hibernian manager he twice held Gerrard to a share of the points earlier this season.

Sunday’s meeting between the two promises further intrigue. Just who has their blinds up on Monday morning will explain the narrative on how Sunday’s game develops. “If it’s a draw, we’ll have them both open,” joked Lennon. “He [Gerrard] lives across the road actually. Obviously, we don’t see much of each other socially.

“I met him in Portugal a few times and played in his golf charity. Obviously, I was up here for the majority of my time and Steven was in England, but when I’ve met him, we’ve got on very well. I can’t remember if I played against him in the Premier League or not, but there was the UEFA Cup games and he was one of the modern-day greats.

“What he did for Liverpool individually as a player was very, very difficult to compare with anyone else in terms of trophy haul and performances in big games.

“I think he manages as he plays. He’s a winner and he sets good standards for his players and his club.”

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One of the notable results this term for Gerrard has been the win over Celtic at Ibrox. Lennon was still ensconced in the Hibs dug-out at that point but admitted that Celtic were uncharacteristically limp that day as he watched from a distance.

If Rangers felt there was a psychological boost from their first win over Celtic in 13 attempts, any advantage has been undone by their inconsistencies in the aftermath of that result to the point where a team who were level on points that afternoon in December now have a 10-point gap between them.

In fairness, Celtic still had a game in hand but the manner in which the chasm has widened gives Lennon’s side a buffer against any potential slip-ups tomorrow.

“They need to learn from that [defeat at Ibrox] and draw on the experience of how they felt afterwards as well and use that as a motivation. Obviously, in analysis we’ll be showing them some clips of the game and where we didn’t do so well.

“But since that game there’s been a tremendous reaction particularly domestically. The mentality of the team has been very good.”

And Lennon himself won’t allow the afternoon to wash over him, either.

“I think you enjoy the game when it’s going on,” he said. When you are in the throes of the game you are in what they call the zone. Afterwards, if you win it’s a great relief. When you lose it’s difficult.”