That time is here again; the first Old Firm derby of the season. Arguably, the pinnacle of Scottish football.

Last season there was a massive seven derbies and Rangers only won two of the games, including the League Cup Final. Although they failed to win five of the games, Rangers still managed to lift the Scottish Premier League trophy for the third year running. It’s a new season and new beginnings for the Ibrox club with Ally McCoist at the helm and Craig Whyte at the head of the organisation. If we can forget about the off the field and money problems then who is to say that they won’t steam-roll their way to another league title. In theory there are 11 clubs who can stop Allan McGregor and company, but in reality it will only be Neil Lennon’s men in with a chance of denying Rangers their 55th SPL title.

So far in league terms, both sides have played six games and won five. Rangers slipped up at home on the first day of the season to last year’s thirds places side Hearts, and Celtic slumped to a home defeat at the hands of St Johnstone in one of the early shocks of the SPL season.

The first Old Firm of the season is always hyped up beyond belief; even if last season it felt slightly justified. Celtic were leading at half-time and then managed to lose 3-1 following an own goal from Glen Loovens and a brace from former Celtic man Kenny Miller. It will leave long in the memory as a friend lost their hair afterwards.

This season it appears that like again there will be very little between the two Glasgow sides. In the 12 league games played featuring The Old Firm, they have scored a total of 25 goals and conceded just three. There are a lot of players to watch out for in Sunday’s derby but instead of naming them all I will highlight two from each team.

For Rangers, it’s crucial that they thwart Celtic’s attacking prowess and depending on the selection McCoist goes with, Dorin Goian could prove to be a crucial player. He has shown so far this that he is commanding at the back and along with Carlos Bocanegra, it’s hard to see where Davie Weir fits back into the side. The other player important player for Rangers will be Steven Davis. I honestly dread to think of Rangers without him anchoring the midfield. The Northern Irish international commands the middle of park and if his game is what it can be, he’ll be a lift for the players around him. It’s clear that the 2010 SPL Player of the Year is crucial towards success for the blue side of Glasgow.

As for Neil Lennon’s side. there are a host of players who could be described as influential but again only two are capable of changing the game against Rangers. Firstly, there is Georgios Samaras; trust me. The Greek striker has always been called upon for the derby by Lennon. He breaks up the play, gets himself about and is played to frustrate Rangers as quickly as possible. He showed last year that he can remain calm and composed when the situation arises. Secondly, it will be Badr El Kaddouri. The Moroccan international joined the Hoops on the final day of the summer transfer window as a replacement of sorts for Emilio Izaguirre, who is injured until at least Christmas. El Kaddouri had a cultured first performance for Celtic in the 4-0 victory over Motherwell and shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the occasion. He was Lennon’s first choice last season to fix the problem left-back area but Celtic weren’t able to meet Dynamo Kiev’s demands. He has big shoes to fill but if he uses his experience and talent then it shouldn’t be a problem.

When 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon comes every Old Firm fan around the globe will be eagerly anticipating the 90 minutes that follows. An entertaining game will go a long way towards hushing the doubters of the Scottish league.

Everyone will, of course, have their own predictions. I think both sides will be well up for the match and the impress defensive records won’t count for much. I’ve plumped for 2-2 with the away side taking the lead on both occasions. As for first goalscorers, Kyle Lafferty at 13/2 should not be ignored and Ki Sung-Yeung at 14/1, could be a speculative prediction. Bet of the day has to James Forrest to score at any time at 11/4. The youngster scored twice last week and has showed great form going forward for the East-End side. To rival that in a completely different market is Scott Brown to be shown the first card at 7/1 is also very generous, given the Celtic captain’s record. One final bet I will be bumming up is the draw at 11/5 and this is well worth your attention.

Feel free to shoot my down after the game but as long as it’s a good game then I will leave the pub a happy and drunk man.

Odds courtesy of McBookie. Photo courtesy of Ronnie Macdonald.