Brown: Celtic win would 'change the game' as Celtic host Rangers

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown said a win for Celtic over Rangers at Celtic Park on Sunday, 20/9/26, would "change the game" as the teams meet again in the Scottish Premiership.

Brown made the remark after what the article describes as a turbulent week for Martin O'Neill's side.

The match is the second consecutive Sunday meeting between the clubs and, as with last week, will have no visiting supporters in attendance; Celtic go into the fixture in the east end of Glasgow holding a five-point advantage over Rangers. Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox in last Sunday's League Cup quarter-final, and Celtic suffered a 3-1 home defeat by Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener on Thursday. Scottish Premiership: Celtic v Rangers Listen on Sportsound, highlights on Sportscene 20/9/26 from 11:00 BST (radio), 19:15 (TV).

Brown praised Rangers manager Derek McInnes for a tactical switch in the season's first derby, noting McInnes altered the side's shape to 3-5-2 and matched Celtic's front three man for man. "They went after Celtic from the get go," Brown said. "They looked like they wanted the win more. For him to change his tactics, nobody expected him to do that. That is a very, very good manager to pick that out."

Reflecting on Martin O'Neill's preferred formations, Brown recalled O'Neill's earlier use of a 3-5-2 and questioned its suitability to the current Celtic squad. "Martin O'Neill when he was manager [from 2000-05], loved a 3-5-2 and it was fantastic to watch," said Brown. "He had two big guys up front. That was an unbelievable team. He's not got those players that probably can be suited to a 3-5-2."

Brown also outlined selection issues on Celtic's left flank, noting Yang Hyun-jun is still on Asian Games duty while Sebastian Tounekti and James Forrest have both been used in that area. He criticised how Rangers disrupted Celtic's midfield by targeting Callum McGregor and set out which types of movements he would like to see from other attacking options. "Rangers got in their face, they blocked Callum McGregor off and as soon as you block Callum McGregor off and you man-mark Cal, it's hard for anyone else to go and dictate. That's when you need a [Benjamin] Nygren to drop under, a [Mika] Baur to go and drop under and them do their job as well. You can't always keep looking at Cal to do everything."

On match intensity and the importance of a fast start, Brown warned the opening period could decide the game and urged Celtic to recover urgency after last week's slow beginning. "Rangers were up for the fight," he added on Sportsound. "The first 15 minutes, it should be a battle. If you can go and win that battle, you can get the ball down. Celtic started very, very slow last week. They need to go back to basics, make sure they've got the fight, make sure they've got the hunger because they've got the talent - I know they've got the talent. You cannot have just one of those days against your biggest rivals, ever."

Rangers boss Derek McInnes commented on an injury concern, saying Naderi's ankle is 'a mess'.

Brown reiterated the potential standings consequence of the Sunday fixture, quoting: "If Celtic win and they're eight points clear, it changes the game," and underlining that the result would alter the gap between the sides in the Scottish Premiership.