Under pressure Rangers boss Russell Martin reveals what he expects from Celtic at Ibrox

Add as preferred source on Google

The first Rangers vs Celtic Glasgow Derby is a matter of hours away now and Russell Martin sounds a wee bit worried about the game.

The Ibrox boss has had a tough week in the build-up to the Celtic match after Martin’s Rangers were humiliated at Club Brugge midweek.

Brendan Rodgers hasn’t had it easy either after Celtic were beaten by Kairat Almaty on penalties to seal the Parkhead club’s Champions League exit.

So today’s Glasgow Derby is set up to be an epic encounter in which if Celtic win, Rangers go nine points behind in the league title race.

Martin is under serious pressure at Rangers and knows that a defeat to Celtic will put him under an intense spotlight. So what is the Ibrox boss expecting from the Bhoys this afternoon?

• READ MORE: Ally McCoist and TNT Sports man’s utterly bizarre backhanded Celtic dig during Rangers’ Club Brugge shame

Russell Martin addresses Rangers fan unrest vs Celtic

After drawing his first three league games and suffering a 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge, Martin was asked if he was worried about the Rangers fans’ response if Celtic get off to a great start at Ibrox.

Martin told Rangers TV, “I said to you, it’s not about what happens, it’s about our response to it. So we have to make sure we start the game properly.

“If we have a difficult moment in the game, we have to make sure we respond to it properly. And then it’s up to us to make sure the crowd feed off our energy and we give them something to really feel energised about.

“So we have to put in a performance that does that.”

Russell Martin says it’s all about ‘who handles the occasion best’ between Celtic & Rangers

Whenever Celtic have needed a result in a Glasgow Derby that means something, Brendan Rodgers’ team generally get the job done.

When the pressure is on the Ibrox club, however, they do tend to fold.

So when asked what he expects from Celtic this afternoon, Martin continued, “I think, the same as you would expect an Old F-rm game.

“At any point where this happened before, I think, form goes out the window. It’s all about Sunday, and who handles the occasion best, and who’s done their work and who’s prepared.

“We have to make sure we focus on ourselves and make sure we’re ready.”

All the pressure is on Rangers and Russell Martin not to lose the game this afternoon and go nine points behind Celtic.

A lead of that size at this point of the season will be huge for Celtic and pile pressure on their biggest rivals inside their own home ground.

With a two-week international break coming up, what a way to end this first month of the season for the Celtic supporters should Rodgers get a win under his belt.