And it's a pleasure to welcome Scott Johnson of The Footy Blog - recently voted Scotland's top football blog (ahem!) - to give us his blue take on how the match might develop.
So this is the fourth Old Firm game of the season so far…feels like the four hundredth really. And we have three more to come!
Ah well, at least as a Gers fan I know the passion will be there on Sunday. It is an important game for us, we need to try and gain the momentum back as in form Celtic are currently looking better than us.
There is added spice this time for two reasons: The Scott Brown/El Hadji Diouf feud and the fact we actually had an entertaining game last time.
Problems seem to be looming for Rangers though. This fixture comes in the middle of two Europa League games with Sporting Lisbon. In the first tie with the Portuguese side, Rangers lost a lead and that has been the story of their season so far in most of their tougher games. They also have a backlog of SPL matches and Celtic have the extra points in the bag, that’s pressure Walter Smith and his squad do not need.
Lee McCulloch is a big miss, never thought I would say that, and young Jamie Ness is struggling to last ninety minutes. Steve Davis has not been anywhere near as influential this season and Davie Weir is becoming a liability, just look at the Samaras goal in the last SPL Old Firm clash when McGregor had no confidence Weir could stop Samaras. Then there is the point that Celtic have out performed us twice at Ibrox in the last two meetings.
So with all that said Rangers have no chance, right?
Wrong!
It’s an Old Firm game after all. Form counts for very little, the best team on the day are prone to lose. Nikica Jelavic has come back into the side and settled in as the number one striker. He reminds me of Dado Prso, not because they are both Croatian but because of their tough natures, work ethic and team play, but he also adds goals.
Tactics? Well, 4-5-1 vs 4-5-1, simple.
So my prediction, well a boring draw is what my head says but my heart say 1-0 Rangers - Diouf with the goal!
Thanks again to Scott. TheFootyBlog.net can be found here or follow @thefootyblognet on Twitter here.
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