Former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae feels the best the Gers can hope for against Celtic on Saturday is a draw.
The Light Blues had a dismal record against Celtic last season as they failed to beat the Hoops in six attempts in all competitions, losing five of those.
Rangers, who brought in several new players in the summer, currently find themselves third in the league table with 11 points from six games, five behind leaders Celtic.
Pedro Caixinha’s team will be without their skipper Lee Wallace for the season’s first Old Firm derby, while fellow defenders Bruno Alves and Declan John are also doubtful.
And Rae thinks although Rangers will have the backing of their supporters, it will be a daunting task for the Ibrox outfit to beat Celtic, owing to his former club’s inexperienced squad and injury concerns.
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“I feel on the day, the best that Rangers could possibly hope for is a draw”, he said on the Ladbrokes Football Show.
“They [Rangers] have a lot of new faces and it’s important to have guys who have actually played the course and distance of these fixture and Celtic have plenty of them.
“With possible injuries obviously too – Lee Wallace guaranteed to be out, Alves potentially being out and Declan John maybe out as well, it’s a big disruption to the backline.
“I was at the Celtic game last night and they were rampant; they were actually playing in first gear in the second half.
“It’s a bit of a daunting task for Rangers, but they will get the home support which may well be a factor.
“It depends just on the day as well, we have written off teams before saying it will be a one-sided game and it didn’t turn out that way.”
Rangers, who are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions, will head into the game against Celtic on the back of a 3-1 win over Partick Thistle in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup on Tuesday.
