Glasgow Rangers know that eight wins from their final eight Premiership fixtures will ensure they win a first league title since the 2020/21 campaign.
They welcome Celtic to Ibrox on Sunday for the third Old Firm derby clash of the season, and it is arguably the most important match of 2023/24 thus far.
Philippe Clement led the Gers to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Hibernian during their last league match, but the memo is clear ahead of tomorrow – three points are all that matters.
The manager could have Ridvan Yilmaz available for the vital league clash, while Abdallah Sima will have a big part to play. The question is, will he start? Or have to make do with a cameo appearance.
With that in mind, here's a look at who Clement could unleash against Celtic at Ibrox in a mammoth Old Firm clash, with three potential changes from the win over Hibs…
1 GK – Jack Butland
No surprises here. Butland has played in every single Premiership, European and League Cup match for the club this season, missing just a single game, a Scottish Cup clash against Dumbarton.
In his two Old Firm appearances this season, Butland has conceded three goals, but he will be hoping to record his first-ever clean sheet against Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday, and it could prove to be a pivotal moment in the title race.
2 RB – James Tavernier
The long-serving captain continued his fine goalscoring streak in the top flight against Hibs last week, scoring for the third domestic game in succession, and he will be hoping to make it four in a row tomorrow.
Tavernier already has a goal against Celtic this term, scoring the consolation in the 2-1 defeat in December. Across 34 matches in his career, the Englishman has scored five goals and grabbed six assists against Celtic.
The former Wigan Athletic man has won just nine Old Firm matches since joining Rangers in 2015. Win number ten would be special indeed.
3 CB – Connor Goldson
The defender is Clement’s first-choice centre-back, and he will be making his 25th Old Firm appearance on Sunday.
Goldson scored a double against Celtic in October 2020 during the Light Blues' wonderful unbeaten run and another goal on Sunday could go a long way for the club to secure all three points and give them a massive boost in the title race.
4 CB – John Souttar
Like Goldson, Souttar has also scored in an Old Firm derby. The defender headed in the second goal during an eventual 3-0 victory over Celtic last May, yet Ange Postecoglou's side had already won the title, rendering the match slightly uncompetitive.
The Scot has formed a solid partnership with Goldson at the heart of the defence recently and if they can prevent any mistakes from creeping into their games, then a clean sheet is certainly a possibility.
5 LB – Ridvan Yilmaz
During his pre-match press conference, Clement stated that he would wait until closer to the match to assess whether Yilmaz was ready or not.
“Ridvan not sure yet, we will see tomorrow and make a decision.” Said Clement on Friday, and he will be hoping the Turkish gem is ready to go.
Since the end of December, the £5m defender has started ten league matches and is one of the club’s most consistent performers of late.
6 CM – John Lundstram
The midfielder will bring a lot of experience to the Old Firm clash and this could certainly settle the nerves of Mohamed Diomande, who will be his partner in the middle of the pitch.
Lundstram has won just three games against Celtic since joining in the summer of 2021, but he will be expecting this record to change between now and the end of the campaign.
7 CM – Mohamed Diomande
Being thrown into the Old Firm cauldron either makes or breaks a player, but Diomande has shown plenty of mettle since arriving in Glasgow back in January.
The 22-year-old has already featured 11 times for the Gers, scoring twice and has settled into the first-team squad with ease. If he can operate at his very best against Celtic, then they could find it hard to prevent him from making runs from deep.
8 RW – Dujon Sterling
While Clement finally has options out wide again, it should be Sterling who is given the nod to start. Scott Wright has not been great recently, while Ross McCausland could be an ideal option to come off the bench late in the game.
Sterling has typically been used in the midfield or defence this term, but has slotted in as a right-winger once, scoring against Benfica, proving he can handle the pressure.
9 AM – Todd Cantwell
The 26-year-old scored against Celtic in the final derby match of last season but has failed to add to his tally in the subsequent two games.
With six goals and five assists thus far in 2023/24, Cantwell has shown a keen eye for goal while operating in an attacking midfield role and Clement will be hoping he can maintain this form heading into the clash on Sunday.
10 LW – Abdallah Sima
While Fabio Silva has not done much wrong during his spell on the left wing, the return of Sima is a huge boost for the team.
The on-loan winger has scored 15 goals throughout the season, despite missing 13 games due to a hamstring injury suffered on international duty. There is no doubt he can cause the Celtic defence plenty of problems.
