Celtic’s match against Rangers looks set to be a box office Glasgow Derby.
With both sides enduring managerial turmoil and poor starts to the season, it will be a rare New Year Derby in which neither of the sides are top of the league.
Wilfried Nancy has only been in the door for a few weeks, but he enters the fixture under immense pressure with five defeats in seven at Celtic.
Rangers are no world beaters under Danny Rohl, but they seem to have moved on from the messy start to the season they had under Russell Martin.
Celtic’s best form this season came under the interim charge of Martin O’Neill, and he was expected to be a pundit at the game on Saturday – but this has now changed.
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Martin O’Neill pulls out of punditry at Celtic vs Rangers
O’Neill had been on a punditry run prior to being offered the Celtic job in October.
Since leaving, he has returned to his weekly Talksport gig with Jim White and Simon Jordan.
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O’Neill had also been scheduled to appear at a Celtic fan event in Glasgow on Saturday evening, but this has also been cancelled.
No reason has been given for the change of plans, and some have wondered whether O’Neill thought twice about being in the limelight given the pressure that Nancy is under.
However, the recent passing of John Robertson, O’Neill’s close friend and former assistant, should also be taken into consideration.
The game is live on Sky Sports at 12:30PM, and O’Neill had been expected to be on the panel.
It’s Nancy’s first Glasgow Derby, and if he can’t lead the team to a priceless victory, it could also be his last.
The Hoops are currently three points behind Hearts in the league table, having lost both of their matches against the Jambos this season.
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Martin O’Neill on Wilfried Nancy at Celtic
O’Neill has already spoken about his successor, after his Premier Sports Cup final defeat to St Mirren.
He said on TalkSPORT: “No, you cannot make a judgement on anybody over three games. And I don’t care about the matches. The matches were difficult.
“Roma was going to be a difficult game, whether you’re playing at home or not.
“You know, Hearts was the top of the table clash, and a cup final. A cup final is a cup final.
“You have got to give a manager some time.”
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