'Fragile' Rangers would 'bite hand off' for point against Celtic, claims ex-Parkhead star

Ex-Celtic star Kris Commons reckons Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst “would bite your hand off” for a point at Parkhead.

The Scottish champions travel to their rivals on Wednesday night having seen their lead cut from six points to two points since returning from the winter break.

Saturday’s 3-3 draw was the second time the Ibrox side had dropped points this month, having also drawn with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Commons believes Rangers have shown a “fragility” this campaign despite their position at the top of the league.

Rangers have had their lead at the top of the Premiership cut from six to two points ahead of the derby with Celtic. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

"Rangers fans are probably fed up hearing about Angeball and the slick style of attacking football Celtic have been playing," he wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"His army of vibrant Japanese stars have lit up the Scottish Premiership and brought a freshness and a sense of excitement to the league.

"Then you've got the likes of Jota and Liel Abada to throw in there as well. Like I say, Rangers fans are probably fed up hearing about the whole lot of it.

"From their point of view, there would be no better way to silence all the noise around Celtic at the moment by turning them over on their own patch.

"In all honesty, though, I believe van Bronckhorst would bite your hand off right now if you offered him a point.

"Why? Because there is a flakiness and a fragility to Rangers at the moment which has been evident for much of the season."

Commons reckons Celtic will simply have “too much firepower” even without key stars such as David Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi.

"There remains an underlying problem in this Rangers team,” he said. “If the likes of Ross County and Hibs can expose it so brutally, what might a free-flowing Celtic do?

"That said, Postecoglou could potentially be missing almost half a team on Wednesday night if Tom Rogic and Daizen Maeda don't make it back from international duty in time.

"Rangers have the absence of Alfredo Morelos to contend with, but there's no doubt Celtic have been hit harder by injuries and international call-ups.

"Yet, even so, and despite the fact they could be missing half a team, I still expect them to have too much firepower for Rangers."

Don't miss out on a 30 per cent discount on an annual sports subscription. We have a special offer throughout January where you can get a reduced package. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions/sports for more details