One player who has enjoyed and performed well in derbies in the past is Jota, and he told Celtic TV earlier this week that he is looking forward to returning to derby action.

The manager said: “All the players, collectively, it’s important for us to play well.

"But as in Jota going away, when you’re here and you’re playing in the fixture a lot, you maybe go away from here and maybe think there are other derbies that are similar to it.

“But I’m sure when he left he recognised the true real special meaning of the Celtic/Rangers games.

“So it’s a game that all the players will relish, and especially the likes of Jota who has been away and maybe thought he would never play in one again.

“And now he’s back in it and he’ll want to perform which is great news for us.”

The Irishman himself had to adapt to missing the derby action as well in his spell away from the club, so he knows exactly what Jota missed.

He said: “It’s a brilliant game, and I obviously tuned in to them when I possibly could. So the build-up to it, the intensity - it’s more than football.

“Like I said, it’s people’s lives, it’s what they breathe every single day, and you know that responsibility you have as a manager.

“And that great privilege that we have for every Celtic supporter in every corner of the world – the opportunity to give them that real, real good feeling.

“So I tuned into them when I was away from here, before I was here, and, now, to be back in it, it’s obviously special.”

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Squad availability for Sunday
The response to the last derby at Ibrox
Managerial change at Ibrox
Return of visiting fans

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Watch the full video to hear Brendan Rodgers on

More on the match

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Brendan Rodgers: This means everything to the supporters