Former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson believes it isn't must win against Celtic for his former team but he sees a route to a vital victory over their great rivals.
The Premiership champions trail the league leaders by three points but know a win will draw them level with Ange Postecoglou's side.
Gio van Bronckhorst's men have a blockbuster fixture run upcoming which includes a Europa League quarter-final showdown with Braga before facing Celtic again in the the semi final of the Scottish Cup.
And Thomson admits he would prefer to be playing for the side battling for glory both domestically and on the continent.
The ex- Rangers star has been joined by the likes of Mark Hateley, and Andy Halliday all weighing in before Sunday's big one.
Record Sport looks at what has been said as the Glasgow rivals get set for a dust-up with everything on the line.
Kevin Thomson
Thomson is expecting a cracker and he reckons both teams will see a path to victory in Sunday's High Noon showdown.
He told Sky Sports: “There’s always pressure. They are must wins for both sides of the city.
“With Celtic having bragging rights and sitting top of the league then it’s a massive game for Rangers. It’s genuinely sitting on the fence, they are two really good teams.
“If Rangers can bring their European form they certainly have a chance of beating Celtic. And I think Celtic will know if they go to Ibrox and win then it could be curtains for Rangers.”
“It’s not a must-win. Any Rangers player will tel you they need to win every game anyway so they will approach it in that manner.
“Their form has been good, Gio has a lot of positives from the European run. But the harsh reality of being a Rangers player is you’re always defined by whether you get your hands on that league medal at the end of the season.
“They have been the course before and know what it’s like to win titles know so there’s experience in the camp.
“Ange deserves a lot of credit for how he has turned Celtic around and the style they play.
“So it’s going to be an intriguing match up. They are both attacking and score lots of goals.
“Both can be vulnerable at ties at the back. It’s going to be interesting.”
“To be on the front foot is key. The energy Celtic showed in that first half at Celtic Park was second to none. They blew Rangers away.
“Rangers have the capabilities of doing exactly that to Celtic. The crowd will be massive. The energy that can be produced at Ibrox is unbelievable and the players are going to need that.
“They are going to have to give the fans something to get excited about.
“If they start sharp, early tackles, chances and impose themselves on the game as quickly as possible then it could be the defining factor.”
“He still likes 4/3/3. He has tinkered with his shape and formation in Europe and it’s worked brilliant for him, certainly going three at the back although I don’t think that will be the case on Sunday.
“To follow on from Steven Gerrard and how successful the team was, it’s hard as he was a world class icon.
“But Gio is a big icon too and it’s been great for the club to attract that type of manager.”
“The manager left a good identity and a good squad.
“Some of the deals like Glen Kamara at £50,000 sticks out given how good a player he has been.
“Ultimately you are judged on success and that’s winning medals. Gio will be judged on that.”
“There’s no getting away from Celtic having better time to recover and prepare. But if I was a player I’d rather be tired and challenging on all fronts than being out of Europe.
“It can have its advantages and its disadvantages. But one thing I know is, if there’s any tiredness then have it in the summer when you have that medal in your back hipper and you are sitting somewhere on a beach.
“There will be no excuses from the Rangers camp as to how busy the schedule is.”
Mark Hateley
Speaking to BETDAQ, he said: “Rangers are in a place right now where it looks like it could be a great season or a disaster of a season,
They’ve not won anything yet. They’ve lost the League Cup, which Celtic have already won. The importance of winning a championship probably outweighs anything, especially with the Champions League that comes with winning that this year, the financial rewards that come with it, and what that then takes away from the runner-up (next season).
"It’s vitally important to win the league but as every Celtic or Rangers fan will tell you, it’s very important to win every trophy. So this game against Celtic is massive, it’s very, very big. Especially this season.
“The fixture is 100 per cent pivotal to the title race. The congestion for the season that Rangers are having now, especially with this month of April coming up – Celtic have (currently) got three games, Rangers have got five. There’s two Old Firm games and two high-profile Europa League games against Braga, so it’s a key time now for Rangers and their squad. Giovanni (van Bronckhorst) will have seen and studied his squad; he’s going to have to dig deep
"Rangers need to win, without a shadow of a doubt. Celtic have got key players coming back in for the run-in, which is always key. But at Rangers, Aaron Ramsey has started his first 90 minutes (in the league) in the last game and had a big impact on the Wales v Austria result too.
'He’s coming into terrific form and fitness. It’s these key things that you need; you need all your players fit and available. It’s going to be well balanced with players coming back for both teams. Ramsey is a big-game player. Hopefully he’ll be bang in tune for the run-in."
Andy Halliday
He told Open Goal: "I'm saying it's done – if Celtic win at Ibrox this weekend it's done.
"Celtic have then got St Johnstone at home before the split, so you're then asking Celtic to drop points in three out of their last five games and they've got 3 home games as well.
"I don't think there's any guarantee either that Rangers will win every game.
"Rangers have to win.
"Since that game van Bronckhorst has 100 per-cent changed style wise.
"They played us at Tynecastle two weeks before and I couldn't believe how passive they were. They went 2-0 up and sat off.
"Since that game, they've changed in Europe and domestically, starting games quickly."
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