Derek McInnes is risking Old Firm naivety as Rangers vs Celtic lineup announced

Derek McInnes has taken some major gambles with his Rangers starting XI against Celtic.

The two Glaswegian rivals clash at Ibrox in a 12pm kick-off this afternoon in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals.

No away supporters will be inside the stadium, which could work for or against Gers depending on how the players handle the home fans-only pressure.

The Bears haven't beaten Celtic at home since January last year, and are winless in the last three Old Firm derbies.

So, a win today would go an awful long way when it comes to McInnes winning over his remaining Rangers sceptics.

But his team selection has put an awful lot of pressure on a number of players with no experience of this fixture.

What is the Rangers XI Derek McInnes has picked vs Celtic?

It might only be a cup game, but every Old Firm derby has as much meaning as the last and the next.

Ivor Pandur starts in goal with Dujon Sterling and James Penrice as the two full-backs.

Emmanuel Fernandez and Olwethu Makhanya form the centre-back pairing, whilst Nicolas Raskin and Dan Neil do the same in central midfield.

Ryan Naderi starts in the number 10 role, flanked by Djeidi Gassama on the left and Minsu Kim on the right.

That leaves Kevin Kelsy as the striker McInnes has sided with to lead the Rangers line this afternoon.

However, in naming this side, McInnes has left a considerable amount of Old Firm experience, and indeed, understanding, on the bench.

McInnes has missed chance for clear Old Firm advantage

It's felt like Celtic have often had a distinct advantage in recent years in Old Firm games when it comes to fielding players with experience of them.

However, players like Reo Hatate, Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda, all with vast quantities of Old Firm heritage to draw from, are now gone.

On top of this, Alistair Johnston and Jota aren't in the Celtic side either through injury, giving Martin O'Neill two less players with similar experience levels.

As a result, this felt like a prime chance for McInnes to turn to the likes of Bojan Miovski, Tochi Chukwuani, Ross McCrorie and Findlay Curtis.

Having considerably more players on the pitch with Old Firm experience could've been a huge advantage for Gers, but that's been passed up.

So, should McInnes' faith in his new and Old Firm-naive signings backfire, serious questions should be asked of this decision.