Brendan Rodgers backs this player ahead of the Old Firm derby

STAR MAN – Moussa Dembele has had a frustrating time since swapping Craven Cottage for Celtic Park, with his own patchy form and the red-hot instincts of Griffiths keeping out of Rodgers’ team.

The French striker, only playing due to an injury to top scorer Leigh Griffiths, became the first player to score a hat-trick in the fixture since Ally McCoist’s treble in the 1983 League Cup final.

Rangers won the Championship last season at a canter, playing an expansive and attacking game, something they’d been missing throughout their journey through the Scottish lower leagues.

Rangers have not made the greatest of starts in the Scottish Premiership return, winning just two of their first four matches, with the other two being draws.

Joe Garner brought Rangers back into the game on the stroke of half-time, but Dembele played in Scott Sinclair to make it 3-1 on the hour before the visitors had debutant Philippe Senderos sent off for a second bookable offence.

Rangers, who beat Celtic on penalties to reach the Scottish Cup final past year, have only one player surviving from the last league clash between the sides, skipper Lee Wallace. “We are going into a local derby with 60,000 fans, 52,500 of which will be backing one side”, Warburton said.

“We are going to have to dig deep over there and show our qualities yet again”.

Across the city, Rangers manager Mark Warburton called on his players to concentrate on their own game and be “brave”.

Warburton replaced one forward, Kenny Miller, with another in Martyn Waghorn.

Strong, quick and with a keen eye for goal, he is the class of player that Celtic’s ambitious appointment of Rodgers has allowed them to acquire.

‘We felt with this type of stage, he’d have the attributes to make an impact.

Yesterday’s 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Celtic has left many fans scratching their heads at where it has all gone wrong for their side.

“We don’t see a major gulf”. But then we got the goal and wanted to come out hard and fast in the second half.

Asked whether he would have expected his side to take more from their first five fixtures, he said: “Yes, obviously”.