Celtic and Rangers are both defending 100% league records
By Colin Moffat
Former Rangers defender Craig Paterson believes experience could be key in the first Old Firm meeting of the season.
Celtic host their fierce rivals on Sunday, with both sides locked at the top of the Scottish Premier League, each with eight wins from eight.
"The big thing for me is how players react to the situation," said Paterson, a veteran of many a Glasgow derby.
"With Rangers, you know what you're going to get. The players have been over the course before."
On-loan pair Vladimir Weiss and Ricky Foster are the only potential starters for the visitors that have not sampled the red-hot atmosphere before, while the home side will include a host of debutants in the fixture.
Summer signings Fraser Forster, Emilio Izaguirre, Daniel Majstorovic, Efrain Juarez, Joe Ledley, Anothony Stokes, Gary Hooper, Cha Du-Ri and Daryl Murphy are all new to the occasion.
There's a great team spirit, I think that's the most important thing about Celtic
Murdo MacLeod
"There could be anywhere between six and eight Celtic players playing in an Old Firm game for the first time." continued Paterson.
"It's been an incredible turnaround.
"Neil Lennon has been in charge for one Old Firm game and he won it 2-1 last May. Only Mark Wilson from that starting XI is likely to start on Sunday.
"But Celtic must be high in confidence, with the way they are playing and the results they are getting."
With both sides aiming for a ninth successive league victory, something has to give at Celtic Park.
And former Celtic midfielder Murdo MacLeod is tipping his old team to prevail.
"Both sides are on fire just now and it's really difficult to split them," he told BBC Scotland.
"I think Celtic will just nick it. There's a great team spirit, I think that's the most important thing about them.
Lennon is defending his own 100% managerial record against Rangers
"I watched Celtic play really well at Dundee United last weekend. They created chance after chance and eventually won the game, battling right through to the final whistle.
"But I have also been impressed with Rangers. They are strong all across the park and will be full of confidence after playing so well against Valencia on Wednesday.
"They made a lot of chances and should have won that game. They put a lot into that game but fatigue won't be an issue.
"Tiredness doesn't come into these games, everyone is up for the challenge."
Celtic manager Lennon has an array of offensive options at his disposal and has experimented with a number of formations this season.
At Tannadice last Sunday, Georgios Samaras played as a central striker, with support from Stokes, Hooper and Shaun Maloney in an attack-minded 4-2-3-1 system.
Rangers boss Walter Smith is widely credited with a cagier approach, yet his side have scored four more league goals and conceded three more than Lennon's.
This term has seen Smith deploy a 5-4-1 set-up to good effect in the Champions League and Paterson believes we might see a similar system at Celtic Park
"I think that's the way forward for Rangers in the big games," he explained. "That's the way they get their best results.
"This game is almost impossible to predict and I think it will be tight.
"Rangers, defensively, always look a bit stronger, while Celtic might claim they have the edge in attack.
"I think we'll get a result. I don't think it will be a draw an there have not been too many nil-nils recently - one in the last 16 games.
"I don't see it being a negative game. Rangers can defend and spring forward, while Celtic will always try to get on the front foot - especially in front of their own fans.
"I'm really looking forward to it. There is everything to play for."
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