Martin O’Neill said Celtic remain top of the Scottish Premiership despite recent difficulties, and could extend their lead by defeating Rangers. He acknowledged the importance of the fixture, warning that a third consecutive defeat would be a psychological blow, while stressing that the players could recover as they had after a previous poor performance.

O’Neill recalled Celtic’s disappointing display against Dundee United before the last international break, describing it as a wake-up call that prompted an improvement. He said the Old Firm match demanded maximum focus regardless of when it was played, and that victory would be valuable even though Celtic would remain in front if they failed to win.