Barry Ferguson has called on Rangers to adopt an aggressive approach against Celtic in their upcoming Premier Sports Cup clash.
The former Ibrox captain believes that aggression is the key ingredient needed to defeat their rivals and secure a place in the last four.
Writing in his column for Daily Record, Ferguson said: "Aggression. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting for a minute they should set out to kick their rivals off the pitch or send people five feet up in the air.
"That's not the kind of aggression I'm talking about."
He clarified his stance: "No, I'm talking about a Rangers team that sets out to knock Celtic out of their stride. To chase after them, press them and harass them for every ball.
"To force them onto the back foot from the first minute and make life so chaotic for them out there that they are struggling to catch a breath."
Ferguson is of the opinion that Celtic have been too comfortable on their recent visits to Ibrox and wants Rangers to change that from the opening whistle. He said: "To tell you the truth, I'm sick of watching Celtic sides come to Ibrox and enjoy themselves out there.
"It's happened way too often over the years and that is a big reason why they've been so dominant for so long.
"Put it this way, if you’re wearing a green and white shirt inside that stadium tomorrow, you should be made to hate every single second of it."
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He believes that if Rangers adopt such an approach, it would quickly bring the home support into the game. He said: "If Rangers go about their business in this sort of aggressive manner from the off, what do you think happens next?
"I'll tell you what happens, they'll bring 50,000 fans with them and the whole environment will become even more noisy, hostile and intimidating."
Ferguson also took note of Rangers' midweek win over St Mirren, highlighting the team's ability to grind out a result even when not at their best.
He said: "What I enjoyed most was they still managed to find a way to win, even when they weren't playing pretty passes and knocking the ball about between themselves."
The former captain is backing McInnes' side to prove their doubters wrong. He said: "They've already been written off by so many people and they've been told repeatedly that they are miles behind this Celtic side.
"Fine. Let these people say whatever they want. But you've got the chance to show them how wrong they are and an opportunity to send Celtic crashing out of the first cup competition of the campaign."
Ferguson concluded his column with a prediction, tipping Rangers to claim a 2-1 victory at Ibrox.
