The upcoming Glasgow Derby between Celtic and the Rangers, at Parkhead, is going to be very vital for both the clubs. It could even turn out to be a Premiership title decider. The Hoops have a 6-point lead at the moment and with just 4 more league games to go, and a significant advantage when it comes to goal difference, a win would virtually crown them the champions of Scotland on Sunday.

But the same time, they must be wary of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, who managed to outplay and beat Celtic the last time that the two sides met, in the Scottish Cup semi-final, despite having played 120 minutes against SC Braga in midweek.

On that occasion, Celtic did not have Giorgos Giakoumakis and Nir Bitton available and Kyogo Furuhashi was not fit enough to start. That is not expected to be the case this time around.

On the other hand, the Rangers have a lot of injury problems as well as suspension issues. As reported by the Daily Record, Alfredo Morelos and Filip Helander are out for the season, and that might be the case with Ianis Hagi as well. On the other hand, Kemar Roofe and Aaron Ramsey are believed to be in a race against time to be available for the second leg against RB Leipzig. And Leon Balogun is suspended after receiving a red card against against Motherwell.

Why Celtic must prepare for the best version of the Rangers

Some sides just play better when they are considered as the underdogs and this Rangers team might be one of them.

In the Scottish Cup semi-final, Celtic were considered as the heavy favourites after winning back-to-back Glasgow Derbies and we all know how that game turned out. We have also seen Van Bronckhorst’s side do well against teams in the Europa League who are considered as better than them.

Thus, Celtic will have to prepare to face the best version of the Rangers even though they might have a number of players missing. The Scottish Premiership is up for grabs and there is no scope for slipping up now.