Brian Laudrup gives Rangers Old Firm derby advantage
Brian Laudrup says Rangers have been given the advantage ahead of the Old Firm derby after the latest developments ahead of the game.
The Bears were boosted by news that Joe Aribo will be available for the game after Nigeria were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations, while Celtic suffered an injury blow with Callum McGregor being forced out.
Former Ibrox star Laudrup wrote in his Daily Mail column [via Daily Record] that he felt that handed the edge to Rangers ahead of the massive clash next week.
“Nigeria’s surprise loss came barely 24 hours after Celtic captain Callum McGregor suffered a fractured cheekbone in their Scottish Cup tie at Alloa, with Yosuke Ideguchi another casualty,” he said. “The midfield battleground has been altered.
“Does that mean the needle is shifting in favour of Rangers? If you asked the two managers, I’m sure both would disagree. But looking from the outside, I would certainly prefer to be in Van Bronckhorst’s shoes.”
Title race
The big game next week could ultimately decide where the title ends up, with the momentum likely to swing all the way through the race.
Rangers will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the league when they face off against Celtic at Ibrox on February 2nd, and a win could be enough to shatter their rivals’ confidence.
With Aribo back in the squad they are greatly strengthened, but there is also the potential arrival of John Souttar in defence too which would see them at their strongest for a while.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is yet to taste defeat as Rangers boss and while Celtic will certainly put up a fight, the fans will be keen to ensure it doesn’t happen in this game.
We’ve seen the needle shift on who the best team in Scotland is over the last 12 months, but the needle for this game has shifted in the blue side’s favour once again.
In other Rangers news, View: Rangers get major selection boost for Old Firm derby as ‘unreal’ star now available