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Sunday, 2 January 2011
Scottish Premier
Live text and data provided by The Press Association.
Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
Venue: Ibrox Stadium Date: Sunday, 2 January Kick-off: 1245 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Scotland
Rangers forward Steven Naismith will miss Sunday's derby against Celtic, with 19-year-old Jamie Ness being handed his competitive debut.
Ness impressed as a substitute against Motherwell and his introduction is Rangers' only change, despite Kyle Lafferty's return to fitness.
New signing Freddie Ljungberg misses out for Celtic with a virus.
It means a surprise start for Charlie Mulgrew in midfield, with James Forrest also given a start.
Captain Scott Brown is suspended and midfielder Olivier Kapo and striker Daryl Murphy are out through injury.
It is likely to be an even more emotional day than usual in Glasgow, with a minute's silence being held immediately before the 1245 GMT kick-off to mark the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster that led to the death of 66 people.
Dozens were crushed to death on a concrete stairway leading from the Copland Road end of the ground at the end of 1971's Old Firm derby on 2 January.
Rangers have a number of tributes planned, with both sets of players due to wear back armbands.
The teams will be led out by John Greig and Billy McNeill, the respective captains of that era, and fans will also be able to pay their respects at a memorial service at Ibrox on Monday.
The sides go into the latest game with Celtic leading the Scottish Premier League by a point.
However, reigning champions Rangers have two games in hand and won 3-1 the last time the sides met, at Celtic Park in October.
Ness will be pitched into the centre of midfield alongside Lee McCulloch after Naismith failed to recover from the hamstring injury picked up against Motherwell.
Steven Davis moves to the right flank, having recovered despite missing training on Saturday.
Steven Whittaker switches across to the left side of midfield, with Vladimir Weiss playing just behind lone striker Kenny Miller in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Rangers manager Walter Smith:
"I would hope we could use home advantage. But, if you look at both clubs at the moment, both of us have dropped more points at home than we have away from home this season.
"That's something we will have to be wary of considering it's our home match.
"There is not a lot between the two teams. I don't think there is a situation where one team is favoured more than the other.
"Both teams have had their highs and started the season very well and both teams have tailed off a little bit in terms of the number of points dropped recently.
"I think what will happen this time, is that it will be the team who manages to hit the best form on the day. That happens in quite a number of the Old Firm games."
"They are big games and they are big games not only for the club but the supporters too.
"I can't say it's the most enjoyable build-up to a game. It's only enjoyable if you win at the end of it.
"I don't think it's down to individual players in the Old Firm games. I think it's down to the way the team plays and handles the situation on the day."
Celtic manager Neil Lennon:
"I would rather be top - you still have to win your games in hand and, as you have seen this season, there are no guarantees of that.
"But we don't want to drop too many points on Rangers because they've got games in hand.
"It is important that we put in a strong performance and take something from the game.
"We are not going there negative in any shape or form - we are going there to win.
"In the last Old Firm game, we shot ourselves in the foot and that can't happen again on Sunday.
"I think we have had some unnecessary criticism because we are not hammering teams, although we are creating the chances."
Rangers: McGregor; Foster, Bougherra, Weir, Papac; Davis, McCulloch, Ness, Whittaker; Weiss; Miller.
Substitutes: Alexander, Hutton, Kerkar, Fleck, Beattie, Lafferty, Webster.
Celtic: Forster, Wilson, Majstorovic, Rogne, Izaguirre, Forrest, Kayal, Ledley, Mulgrew, McCourt, Samaras.
Substitutes: Zaluska, Juarez, Hooiveld, Stokes, McGinn, Crosas, Towell. Towell.
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Sunday, 2 January 2011
Scottish Premier
Live text and data provided by The Press Association.
Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
Venue: Ibrox Stadium Date: Sunday, 2 January Kick-off: 1245 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Scotland
Rangers forward Steven Naismith will miss Sunday's derby against Celtic, with 19-year-old Jamie Ness being handed his competitive debut.
Ness impressed as a substitute against Motherwell and his introduction is Rangers' only change, despite Kyle Lafferty's return to fitness.
New signing Freddie Ljungberg misses out for Celtic with a virus.
It means a surprise start for Charlie Mulgrew in midfield, with James Forrest also given a start.
Captain Scott Brown is suspended and midfielder Olivier Kapo and striker Daryl Murphy are out through injury.
It is likely to be an even more emotional day than usual in Glasgow, with a minute's silence being held immediately before the 1245 GMT kick-off to mark the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster that led to the death of 66 people.
Dozens were crushed to death on a concrete stairway leading from the Copland Road end of the ground at the end of 1971's Old Firm derby on 2 January.
Rangers have a number of tributes planned, with both sets of players due to wear back armbands.
The teams will be led out by John Greig and Billy McNeill, the respective captains of that era, and fans will also be able to pay their respects at a memorial service at Ibrox on Monday.
The sides go into the latest game with Celtic leading the Scottish Premier League by a point.
However, reigning champions Rangers have two games in hand and won 3-1 the last time the sides met, at Celtic Park in October.
Ness will be pitched into the centre of midfield alongside Lee McCulloch after Naismith failed to recover from the hamstring injury picked up against Motherwell.
Steven Davis moves to the right flank, having recovered despite missing training on Saturday.
Steven Whittaker switches across to the left side of midfield, with Vladimir Weiss playing just behind lone striker Kenny Miller in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Rangers manager Walter Smith:
"I would hope we could use home advantage. But, if you look at both clubs at the moment, both of us have dropped more points at home than we have away from home this season.
"That's something we will have to be wary of considering it's our home match.
"There is not a lot between the two teams. I don't think there is a situation where one team is favoured more than the other.
"Both teams have had their highs and started the season very well and both teams have tailed off a little bit in terms of the number of points dropped recently.
"I think what will happen this time, is that it will be the team who manages to hit the best form on the day. That happens in quite a number of the Old Firm games."
"They are big games and they are big games not only for the club but the supporters too.
"I can't say it's the most enjoyable build-up to a game. It's only enjoyable if you win at the end of it.
"I don't think it's down to individual players in the Old Firm games. I think it's down to the way the team plays and handles the situation on the day."
Celtic manager Neil Lennon:
"I would rather be top - you still have to win your games in hand and, as you have seen this season, there are no guarantees of that.
"But we don't want to drop too many points on Rangers because they've got games in hand.
"It is important that we put in a strong performance and take something from the game.
"We are not going there negative in any shape or form - we are going there to win.
"In the last Old Firm game, we shot ourselves in the foot and that can't happen again on Sunday.
"I think we have had some unnecessary criticism because we are not hammering teams, although we are creating the chances."
Rangers: McGregor; Foster, Bougherra, Weir, Papac; Davis, McCulloch, Ness, Whittaker; Weiss; Miller.
Substitutes: Alexander, Hutton, Kerkar, Fleck, Beattie, Lafferty, Webster.
Celtic: Forster, Wilson, Majstorovic, Rogne, Izaguirre, Forrest, Kayal, Ledley, Mulgrew, McCourt, Samaras.
Substitutes: Zaluska, Juarez, Hooiveld, Stokes, McGinn, Crosas, Towell. Towell.
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