Pedro failed to win the first Glasgow derby of the season ... if same happens in the next two he might not be here for another one

in Scottish football to defeat Brendan Rodgers then not only will Caixinha’s popularity soar among the masses but all doubt will be removed from his job security at a stroke.

That’s not to say Caixinha has to take Celtic’s scalp in order to save his own head. Winning on Saturday is not an absolute requirement. No, all Caixinha really needs is to get out of Saturday’s match with his dignity intact and his reputation in someway enhanced.

Or in other words losing the opening Old Firm showdown of the season by a goal or two would not necessarily constitute a disaster for Caixinha. But being turned over by three, four or more most certainly would.

This season there have been fleeting signs that Caixinha’s plan for Rangers might be coming together.

At times there has been a significantly higher tempo and a greater level of organisation to the way in which his team have been functioning.

Bruno Alves and Graham Dorrans have added both quality and knowhow to his starting 11 and if Alfredo Morelos continues to score goals at his current rate then the Colombian will soon be regarded as the single most exciting, imaginative and lucrative investment made by a Rangers manager in decades. All of which reflects well on Caixinha. The trouble is, for every Alves, Dorrans and Morelos there’s a Carlos Pena, Eduardo Herrera or a Dalcio scrawled into the debit column.

But Caixinha’s priority must be to increase the number of matches his team actually manages to win. At present his ratio of under 54 per cent is alarmingly close to that of Paul le Guen.

If anything, having won just three league games from six this season, it’s in danger of going south which is another reason why Caixinha should be aware of the urgent and critical nature of his current situation.

He may well believe his side are improving even if the league table doesn’t add weight to his argument. And he may have a point too.

But this progress is being hamstrung by so many old failings that Caixinha’s credentials remain very much up for debate. Perhaps in the image of their manager, Rangers remain unconvincing and something of a conundrum.

Together, over the course of the next few days, they’ll have to come up with some big answers. PED TIME Caixinha faces Roberts and Brendan