Saturday 29 December 2018 11:18, UK
Charles Paterson looks ahead to a double-header of Scottish Premiership derbies on Sky Sports on Saturday as Rangers host Celtic and Hearts travel to Hibernian.
Celtic top the Scottish Premiership table with Rangers three points behind in second, although Brendan Rodgers' side do have a game in hand.
Rangers have won just two of their last six league games but are looking to end a 10-match winless streak against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership - their longest ever run without a victory in the Old Firm derby in the competition.
Sky Sports' Scottish football expert Charles Paterson looks at the big talking points ahead of the match and also analyses the Edinburgh derby...
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Both of these teams need the winter break that is coming up, due to the sheer number of games they have played. Both managers have said they're looking forward to the rest, and this game is the final push. With that in mind, you have to look at which squad appears fresher, and which has the deeper squad, and that is clearly Celtic.
They won an awfully tricky game at Aberdeen on Boxing Day. Old Firm games usually take care of themselves; players do not need motivation for them.
The only big injury doubt for Celtic is whether or not Kieran Tierney will be fit to play. If he plays it will provide a real boost. If not, it might be Jonny Hayes who replaces him, as he came on for Emilio Izaguirre against Aberdeen.
There is no Tom Rogic, but Brendan Rodgers knew that would be the case - the rest of the Celtic team probably picks itself. Because of that Rodgers will probably be in a happier place right now, in terms of the way his team is playing.
Goals from all angles
Celtic can score from all over the pitch. Celtic's outstanding player in the last couple of months has been Ryan Christie. There will be an onus on him to provide the creativity in the absence of Rogic. Rogic scored four times against Rangers last year and is often the creative spark, but in his absence they will lean on Christie.
Scott Sinclair got a hat-trick on Boxing Day and appears to be back in form, James Forrest is playing well, Christie is fit again, Odsonne Edouard is also back and played well on Boxing Day, and Callum McGregor is arguably the most consistent player in Scotland.
With those factors in mind Celtic look really formidable. Christie is the one player that Rangers have not had to deal with before. It's difficult to see how Rangers' midfield will stack up against Celtic.
Morelos to spring a surprise?
You get the sense with Steven Gerrard that he is dying to get to the window to give his squad a break and get some fresh faces in. A number of his players are injury doubts. If Connor Goldson misses out Rangers' defence looks suspect.
At times it appears they have been dragging their feet in the last three or four weeks, and have become more reliant on Alfredo Morelos and Allan McGregor.
One of the reasons Celtic go into this as favourites is that they just look that little bit fresher in how they have handled the demands of the schedule.
Morelos has not scored against Celtic yet. One feels he needs to score if Rangers are to win this game. If Morelos doesn't score, it is tough to see how Rangers will get anything out of the game. If you look at the stats, the games that he scores in, Rangers have won nearly every single one. When he doesn't score Rangers struggle to win - the facts are they don't have anyone consistently backing him up. Morelos makes Rangers better; he lifts the whole team.
Paterson's prediction: 0-2
Celtic's players are really feeling good about themselves. You don't get that sense with Rangers. Gerrard has the belief in his squad, but they haven't won a "must-win" match since he arrived. Now is the time to deliver.
I can see Celtic winning by a couple of goals. Rodgers talks repeatedly about the big-game mentality that his team possess. You saw that in evidence on Boxing Day when they got pegged back twice and still won.
Rangers need to prove they can win a big game against Celtic. Domestically, Celtic always seem to pull out a big performance, and there hasn't been much to suggest on recent form that that is going to change.
Having said that, the game is at Ibrox and Rangers have been excellent at Ibrox all season in general. The other unknown factor about this match is that the Celtic fan presence will be tiny as a result of their reduced allocation, so it will be interesting to see how that affects the atmosphere. Normally, Celtic get the entire Broomloan Stand; this time, their fans could be drowned out.
The atmosphere will be electric as always, but this time from a purely Rangers perspective. If they can score an early goal and lift the crowd, it's game on.
There remains a question mark over Rangers' big-game mentality. As much as Gerrard has made Rangers much better, they have not yet proved they are at the level where they can match Celtic on the big occasion.
Hearts have not won at Easter Road since April 2014, so that would suggest it will be difficult for them to win. Hibs are unbeaten in their last six, but four have been draws. Hearts were playing really well at the start of the season, went through a horrible dip but are starting to come out of it.
Hibs have been a bit shot-shy recently. It is difficult to see Hearts winning this game; I can see Hibs winning it but I cannot see many goals in it.
Games as tight as this are sometimes low on quality, but it does not take away from the drama and entertainment. Hibs have perhaps got more ammunition; however they have three players away on international duty with Australia and a lengthy injury list.
Florian Kamberi is capable of producing a goal out of nowhere. If he is in the mood, and if Hibs play the way they did on Boxing Day against Rangers, they perhaps should win it.
Steven Naismith is back for Hearts and that is a massive boost. He is probably their most influential player; Craig Levein talks repeatedly about how he is almost like a manager on the pitch.
I can see it finishing 1-1, given the indifferent form of both sides recently - it is going to be such a tight game. Let's just hope it passes off without incident, after the previous encounter this season was marred by some unsavoury scenes.
