Rangers and Celtic do battle in the Old Firm derby on Sunday with both clubs having recorded maximum points from their opening three Scottish Premiership fixtures.
Celtic currently possess a five-goal advantage over their fierce rivals - a factor which may prove decisive come the end of the season.
Match preview
© Reuters
Steven Gerrard is under pressure to build on a solid opening campaign at Rangers, and the England legend will be delighted with how his side have fared during the opening weeks of the season.
While an injury-time strike was required to get the better of Legia Warsaw on Thursday night, a result which secured qualification for the Europa League group stages, Rangers head into this fixture on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
The goals have dried up in recent matches but clean sheets have been kept in their last four outings, providing both Gerrard and his players with a strong foundation to build upon heading into the biggest game on their schedule.
There will no doubt be tiredness within the ranks after an exhausting run of fixtures, but Rangers arguably have the greater momentum ahead of this game when you consider that they twice prevailed at Ibrox last season.
That said, Neil Lennon deserves plenty of credit for getting his Celtic side back on track after the disappointment of missing out on this season's Champions League.
Shipping four goals in a home defeat to Romanian outfit CFR Cluj could have had long-last ramifications, but four hard-fought wins have eased the doubts that Lennon must have had about his squad just over two weeks ago.
Comfortably overcoming AIK Stockholm 6-1 on aggregate in the Europa League should also stand this team in good stead, but it remains to be seen whether the trip back from Sweden will hinder Celtic this weekend.
While the Bhoys have netted a total of 14 strikes from their last five outings, three of the last seven have, unusually, come courtesy of own goals.
Rangers form: WWWDWW
Celtic form: WLWWWW
Team News
© Reuters
Lennon has revealed that Kristoffer Ajer should be available for Sunday's fixture, despite going off with what appeared to be a groin problem on Thursday night.
Odsonne Edouard is also expected to feature after Lennon dismissed the issue sustained in Sweden as cramp.
Having signed on loan from Stoke City, Moritz Bauer is in contention to make his debut with Hatem Elhamed sidelined with a hairline fracture of a bone in his side.
Rangers may be forced to make a change at left-back, with Borna Barisic having suffered a head injury against Warsaw on Thursday night.
Jon Flanagan could deputise in that position, while Jordan Jones is pushing for a start on the flank after an impressive cameo against the Polish outfit.
Rangers possible starting lineup: McGregor; Tavernier, Katic, Flanagan; Jack, Davis, Aribo; Arfield, Morelos, Ojo
Celtic possible starting lineup: Gordon; Ajer, Bitton, Julien, Bolingoli-Mbombo; Brown, McGregor; Forrest, Ntcham, Christie; Edouard
We say: Rangers 2-2 Celtic
While Rangers will be confident of a third successive win over their arch enemies at Ibrox, we cannot ignore the recent scoring form of Celtic. Despite Rangers' better defensive record this campaign, it would be a surprise if Celtic do not cause problems in the final third, and this could end up as an entertaining draw.
No Data Analysis info
