All eyes will be on Diouf and Brown at Celtic Park

By Alasdair Lamont

Of all the intriguing issues to be played out in Sunday's fourth Old Firm derby of the season, perhaps the most captivating promises to be the resumption of hostilities between Celtic captain Scott Brown and Rangers' recent signing El-Hadji Diouf.

The pair went head-to-head - almost literally - for the first time in the 2-2 draw at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup fifth round, Diouf's first start for Rangers.

It would be difficult to dispute that Brown, by the end of the match, had earned the bragging rights, principally as a result of having curled in a fine equaliser to earn his side a replay.

Diouf - who had momentarily found himself outwith a two-yard radius of his new-found nemesis - showed remarkable restraint as Brown postured in his face in a devilish show of one-upmanship.

But while that incident is the stand-out memory from the Diouf-Brown duel, it was a confrontation that ebbed and flowed throughout the match, with Diouf on at least a couple of occasions leaving Brown trailing in his wake with some deft touches.

Although the focus of questioning at the pre-match news conferences was the likelihood of controversy, it should not be forgotten that the last match was perhaps the best Old Firm game in terms of the quality of football played in recent times

The great shame is that while both are virtually certain to start Sunday's meeting, they may not be in direct opposition to one another at Celtic Park. Diouf has played in a more advanced role in Rangers' most recent matches. Regardless, they are sure to cross swords at some juncture, adding further spice to a match of extremely high stakes.

It is not yet winner-takes-all in the race for the Scottish Premier League title, but the psychology of victory could prove immensely important.

Each side had a man dismissed in that last encounter, while Diouf, Brown and Celtic manager Neil Lennon engaged in a bit of tit-for-tat mud-slinging in the days that followed.

But while Diouf is likely to be public enemy number one at Celtic Park - largely because he spat at supporters while playing there for Liverpool eight years ago - his manager Walter Smith has no qualms about his ability to deal with the situation.

"I don't think it will be a problem for him," said Smith.

"He has shown in the games he has had here already that he has handled himself very well and I don't see any reason why it should be any different this weekend."

Celtic's Charlie Mulgrew believes the private battle between Brown and Diouf is "just part of the game".

"It didn't boil over. So as long as it's kept to that level, it's fine," he added.

"I think maybe more people looked at it because it was El-Hadji Diouf and they were expecting something to happen."

Neil Lennon - no stranger to Old Firm flashpoints himself - is keen to temper the hype surrounding the pair.

"Both teams have their own personalities and it can get a bit feisty at times, but there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it doesn't develop into something outrageous," he said.

"Basically you want to keep 11 players on the pitch."

That is sometimes easier said than done on Old Firm derby day, but the Rangers captain Davie Weir sees no reason to speak to his team-mates beforehand about the consequences of losing control.

"I don't think we can be accused of that," he insisted.

"There is nothing that needs to be discussed. I think everybody (at Rangers) has conducted themselves well."

Although the focus of questioning at the pre-match news conferences was the likelihood of controversy, it should not be forgotten that the last match was perhaps the best Old Firm game in terms of the quality of football played in recent times.

Brown and Diouf played no little part in that, and it would be no great surprise if they had a pivotal role again on Sunday.

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