It’s time for Celtic to stick their chest out again and show the world why they are the top dogs in Scotland.
Brendan Rodgers has an incredible record against Rangers – only losing once during his two spells – and he can further extend that at Ibrox on Thursday.
Celtic beat Rangers in the League Cup final last month in what was an enthralling, nerve-racking and entertaining Glasgow derby.
Before that game, and since then, one thing has continued to rise and that’s the quality of Celtic’s squad.
This is as strong as it has ever been and you are constantly finding yourself looking towards the bench because there are so many big names and top-quality players on it.
Over the festive period, Rodgers has rotated the squad because of injuries, illness and just to combat the heavy fixture load.
But, for the trip to Ibrox, one man must start for Celtic!
Celtic should start Alex Valle instead of Greg Taylor for Rangers clash
Greg Taylor might be out of contract in the summer, but you can’t deny that he is still giving his all and producing top displays for Celtic.
But Alex Valle has looked far better than the Scotland international, especially on the ball, following his season-long loan deal from Barcelona.
Taylor’s mistake led to Rangers’ first goal at Hampden and that’s a sign that Rodgers needs to trust Valle here.
Yes, the rising Spanish star has only tasted 30 minutes of this derby – at Hampden – but he has earned the chance to make his first-ever start against Rangers at Ibrox.
Valle and Taylor’s stats for Celtic this season
The crazy thing about the two is that none of them might be in Celtic colours next season, especially with talk of Kieran Tierney returning.
But, for now, they are proving why there is so much depth in quality around the squad and they have put in many strong displays.
Taylor is seen as the number one by Rodgers and has been rated at 7.23 by WhoScored for his Premiership performances, whilst Valle has been rated at 7.21.
