Ex-Rangers captain Barry Ferguson is expecting his former club to edge out Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season this weekend.

Writing in his column for the Daily Record, Ferguson claims Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have a gameplan up his sleeve to come away with a result from Parkhead, and if they match the Hoops’ energy, he thinks the Bears can spring a surprise:

“I always did believe that the first Old Firm game of the season is important in terms of the message it sends out and the confidence that can be taken from it. The mindset has to be to come away with something, even if it’s just a point. But if they are prepared to match Celtic’s energy from the start then I have a sneaky feeling they could go one better than that.”

Ferguson has gone with a 2-1 victory to Rangers, which is a bold prediction considering the Old Firm rival’s excellent home form. He is, though, right to point to the fact that these games are usually determined by which team goes into the match with the right mindset.

The Light Blues were ill-prepared when they lost 3-0 at Celtic Park in February but they played much better in the same fixture in May and were unlucky not to secure a victory. Fans will be hoping for a similar sort of performance on Saturday afternoon.