Much has been made of it so far, but Rangers’ new and improved defence won’t matter at Celtic Park.
Celtic fans have had to endure weeks of praise towards Rangers’ defence. The new back-line of Connor Goldson and Nikla Katic don’t look as shaky as last year’s Rangers defence. Indeed, the pair look a lot more no-nonsense, and are a solid unit.
Under Steven Gerrard, Rangers have went unbeaten in all 12 matches so far. This has been built on a solid defensive unit that will come to Parkhead this afternoon.
Yet, Celtic don’t need to worry too much about that, as it won’t matter.
Midfield quality
The reason for this is because the Hoops simply have too much quality in midfield. When Rangers come up against lesser sides in Scotland, they’ll dominate most of the ball. This will lead to their defence being more protected and having less to do.
But at Parkhead, Celtic should dominate the midfield battle. Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham have previous in controlling these games. Rangers don’t look as though they have the quality in midfield to counter that.
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This could give the likes of Callum McGregor, James Forrest, and Tom Rogic free reign to run at the visiting defence. It doesn’t matter how good the new partnership is, they’ll struggle against that quality.
Coming up against St Mirren, Motherwell, and Aberdeen so far, Rangers have shipped in two of those games. Therefore, the defence clearly isn’t as rock solid as many make it out to be.
Steelmen show the way
In their last Premiership match, Steve Robinson’s Motherwell exploited the defence with ease. Whilst there is clear improvement there, Rangers’ back-line is still there to be shot at.
With the quality Celtic have, they should be able to expose that defence from many different angles.
Odsonne Edouard is likely to be the man entrusted up top this afternoon. If that’s the case, Katic and Goldson won’t have experienced anything like the towering Frenchman.
Moussa Dembele may be gone, but Celtic still have plenty in their arsenal.
Rangers have been receiving plenty of praise for their defensive work, but Celtic could make sure today is one to forget for this new-look partnership.