The Glasgow Derby between Celtic and Rangers is now less than 24 hours away.
The build-up to the game has had a rather strange, muted feel to it which is probably partly to do with Celtic’s big 16-point gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
If Celtic beat Rangers, then a huge 19-point gap opens up, and the possibility of Brendan Rodgers sealing the title against St Johnstone becomes a reality for the Hoops manager.
However, a draw or a defeat, whilst it will still hurt, will not change the fact that Celtic will still be clear favourites to lift the title come the end of the season.
That prospect is clearly hurting former Rangers coach Alex Rae as the fear of his old club facing Celtic captain Callum McGregor on Sunday becomes clear.
Alex Rae wants Arne Engels to start for Celtic vs Rangers instead of Callum McGregor
Callum McGregor is a Celtic injury doubt for the big game against Rangers but has not yet been ruled completely out of the Glasgow Derby.
So when asked who he would start instead of the Celtic captain, Rae’s comments about Arne Engels shows just how much the ex-Rangers coach fears McGregor.
Looking worried, Rae told Superscoreboard, “If I had a choice, I would take Engels in there ahead McGregor, due to the fact that the influence he has in this team. He can raise the tempo., he can slow it down. He’s currently sat on nine goals as well, which is incredible for number six. Incredible
Host Gordon Duncan clarified Rae’s stance and said, “You would take, Engles playing from a Rangers perspective?
Rae replied, “I would take Engels playing before McGregor because the thing is, he has great qualities. He is a leader within that dressing room.
“You can clearly see that he’s a serial winner when you look at his trophy haul as well, you know? And as I said a couple of minutes ago, the fact that he’s not playing internationals, I think it is going to help him as it’s probably reduced to 8-10 games a season for him.”
Rae’s logic is perfectly sound as Callum McGregor has a great record against Rangers but to then Arne Engels is not slouch so the former Rangers coach’s wish, should it come true, could come back to bit him tomorrow afternoon.
Callum McGregor’s titanic Celtic record vs Rangers including Demolition Derby goal
McGregor has faced Rangers numerous times over the Celtic captain’s glittering Hoops career.
Racking up treble after treble, The Hoops legend has seen off the Ibrox club on many occasions over his time in Paradise, including scoring this cracker in the 5-0 title-winning derby demolition.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at McGregor’s record over Rangers since he first came into the Celtic first-team:
| Played | Won | Drew | Lost | Goals | Assists | |
| Callum McGregor vs Rangers | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 4 |
It truly is a remarkable record so it is little wonder Rae is running stared of the Celtic hero.
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