The setting will be different. Very different, in fact. The modest, 12,300-capacity Memorial Stadium in Bristol is the venue that hosts the clash between English Football League One’s 17th and 15th placed clubs on Saturday.
Just one point separates home side Bristol Rovers and visitors Fleetwood Town but it’s a world away from when the managers in the opposite dugouts met six years ago in front of 60,000 raucous fans at a pumped-up Parkhead and in the frenzied atmosphere of an Old Firm derby.
Celtic vs Rangers doesn’t needed any added spice but the arrival of Joey Barton into Scottish football did exactly that. Barton has never been shy to express his opinion and Scott Brown was hardly a shrinking violet during an illustrious playing career at the Hoops. So when Barton joined Rangers in the summer of 2016 ahead of the club’s long-awaited return to the top flight of Scottish football after their rise through the leagues from the bottom tier and announced himself as the new top dog north of the border then it was hardly going to be a quiet affair when they clashed.
