Celtic vs Rangers match preview: Benchmark

Morning all, it's the big one today, or the first of 4 big ones I suppose, or maybe 5 or 6 big ones. We really do play Celtic a lot.

So it's the first Old Firm of the season and the feeling going into it is really mixed. Like most, when it looked like we weren't going to be bringing anyone in, I had really lost alot of hope for this season. In the end we made some moves, although not quite as many as I think we needed. There's definitely a little bit more optimism for this game, but I think it's the case that the bar for pre-match optimism couldn't get any lower.

In case you missed it, I did a round of our transfer business which you can find here. My overall thoughts on the window are that it showed some positive signs with the kinds of players we brought in, and targets we pursued. But we are definitely still a ways off a squad that can fight on 4 fronts.

Today will be our chance to see how far off that mark we really are. I don't know what to expect today if I'm being honest. We have played well the last two games but we certainly playing against any great opponents.

My main worry for the game is actually one our bright sparks this season, Jefte. He played extensively in pre-season and we all enjoyed what he offered going forward, but he really did struggle defensively. Since he has come in for Ridvan he hasn't really been tested, today will be a massive leap in the quality of opponent given he will be against Kuhn. I really wonder if Clement will ask him to put the handbrake on a little, because we know how quickly Celtic can get forward in transition and I don't like the thought of the kind of gaps Jefte could leave being exploited.

For the midfield battle, I don't want to sound like I'm repeating myself, but we know Lawrence isn't at the physical standard to keep up in these games (Note: the lineup is out, No Lawrence woooo). In Diomande, Barron and Sterling I see a 3 that could properly put up a fight against this Celtic midfield. There's weaknesses there no doubt, but there's also the right mix of strengths to cover each other's backs.

I think our best chance in terms of going forward will be to focus on getting Cerny in behind, he's got great movement and can make things happen when he gets in the final third.

I'm not expecting too many changes in the team, I'm praying for no Lawrence, but aside from that I expect Propper to come in alongside Souttar and all other personnel to remain the same.

Phil's press conference was positive I felt. He spoke well about the challenges of squad building and avoiding the same pitfalls that led to us having so many players leave for no fee. It's good that we have a manager on the same page as the support, but now we need to see if the board are on the same page as the manager.

They brought Cerny out for the press conference too. He didn't say anything too interesting beyond the usual "we want to win every game...want to play in these kinds of games" which is to be expected. He did say he's fit and forming a good relationship with Tav, so that's a positive and I think that can be seen on the pitch, even from Tav finding him between the lines for his goal against Motherwell.

Aside from that there's not too much to say, let's get into them from the first whistle and then you never know what might happen.