A renowned man-manager, Brendan Rodgers is a master at deciphering what makes a player tick.

But even he knows there are some things you just can’t fully prepare people for, Sunday at Ibrox being one of them. The media spotlight pre-derby is always especially glaring, but the Celtic manager was never going to spill on whether any of his late window arrivals are being readied for a baptism of fire.

Privately, though, it will certainly be on his mind.

It remains to be seen whether any of Luis Palma, Nat Phillips or Paulo Bernardo are thrown straight into the fire for a first meeting of the season with Rangers, one which is already loaded with significance despite the campaign still being in its infancy.

Even though we’re barely out of August, defeat this afternoon would heap considerable pressure on both Rodgers and rival Michael Beale given neither have enjoyed a seamless start to the season. Few Celtic team-sheets will have been as eagerly anticipated as the one which will circulate in a few hours’ time, and whether Rodgers puts full faith in his new arrivals is a fascinating prospect to consider.

But how much can he really prime them for what’s to come?

“I don’t think you can,” said the Celtic manager. “I think you can mentally frame certain aspects of what they can expect and anticipate. But it’s not until you’re in it that you can get that feeling.

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“And it’s just about you getting the experience in that sense of it. The players will be talking to other players about the game and the importance of it.

“I will address it, naturally, as part of our preparation. But you really don’t understand it until you are in it and have felt the atmosphere. 

“That’s something that I am sure was a big part of the draw of coming here.”

It was a certainly draw for Rodgers as he casts his mind back to September 2016, his first involvement in a fixture he’d followed closely all his life. Preparation is meticulous, build-up commences weeks in advance, but it was only as Rodgers departed for Celtic Park that the enormity of the occasion hit home.

“It was September 10, the sun was shining,” he recalled fondly. “I remember it all very well. I had obviously watched the game for so many years on TV and seen it.

“I was driving in and I realised that was me inside it, that I was in the game.

“We played ever so well in the game. I remember Leigh Griffiths was out for the game and Moussa introduced himself to the Celtic support.

“Everything in the game was just what I wanted to see. We were fast, powerful, creative, organised and there was an intensity there.

“That spilled onto the stand, they had a great day. To win 5-1 was special.”

Moussa Dembele was the breakout star that day, helping himself to a sumptuous hat-trick and kickstarting what became an unprecedented era of dominance. You wonder if the striker’s career-launching display will feature in Rodgers’ team-talk this weekend, emphasising the fact that these matches can elevate international imports to a level of fan adoration they never dreamt was possible.

“I think if you can perform in these types of games then it’s a real marker for where you can go,” said Rodgers.

“Because I always think the biggest players perform in the biggest games and make the biggest contributions. So if you can perform and contribute in a big game then it’s always a good sign of your qualities going forward.

“That’s the nature of the big games. Listen, we’ve obviously got some players out that was missing. However, the players that are there and playing, I will learn a lot from.

“It’s about the courage to play, to take the ball, to take responsibility, especially when you have no supporters there.

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“I’ll learn a lot for sure. They are big games of course and you want to perform well in them.

“But at Celtic every game is a big game and you have to be ready to perform.

“That’s what I’ve always made in terms of the preparation. When you prepare that way, you go on to your next game.

“Of course, Celtic-Rangers are always huge games and to perform in these games, of course, is what you want to be able to show that you have the quality to do.”

There have been many, if any, derbies in recent memory where both managers are feeling a not-inconsiderable level of heat pre-match. Of course, there is always pressure in these fixtures, but less-than-ideal starts to the season for both Celtic and Rangers has added an extra dimension.

Rodgers has watched side tumble out of the Viaplay Cup already, and spill points against struggling St Johnstone, while Beale lost his Premiership opener then saw his side annihilated by PSV Eindhoven in Champions League qualifying. For his part, Rodgers believes Rangers always faced an uphill task against the Eredivisie side, and now expects a reaction.

“Every player and every team when you lose – and lose heavily – you want to bounce back in the next game,” he said. “They’ll want to do that. Listen, PSV are a good side. We played them before in the quarterfinal I think it was so I know the difficulty of playing them home and away. And the resources we would have had then down south would have been far greater than we have up here.

“Rangers beating them last year maybe created that expectation of going there again and doing the same thing. But let’s be clear PSV are a good side and showed that to get there. Michael and his team and staff will now be looking to get their guys ready for our game. It’s a new game and that’s what modern football is. You have to lick your wounds. It’s not nice, escapable when there’s a Champions League pot at the end of it. Part of success sometimes is when you don’t get the results and you have to be strong enough to go again.”