Gerrard’s Gers have chance to prove point at Parkhead If Rangers can get a result in Russia with nine men, they will believe they can do it at Celtic

TO borrow a phrase from my old manager Jock Wallace, Rangers look as if they have the battle fever on.

To go to Russia and dig out that result was incredible when you consider everything that happened. This side have that togetherness, and it hasn’t been seen since 2012. The first thing that Alfredo Morelos and Jon Flanagan should do when they have a free week is take every other man who played on the night out for a meal and a few drinks, because they saved their bacon big time. Those red cards could have been the difference between getting into the group stages or not, and missing out on the financial rewards that will now come the club’s way, and their teammates didn’t half bail them out. What was hugely encouraging was the way the rest of the team were so quickly able to change their mindset from one that was pushing and probing to kill the tie off, to one that knew it had to defend for their lives.

The manager deserves huge credit, because he has forged them into a unit, and straight away you could see these players were prepared to stick together and do whatever it took to get through the tie.

Their organisation was great, but they were also so impressive in the way that they fought and scratched to protect their goal. The manager and staff have instilled in these players a spirit that they are all in it together, and that shone through in fine style not only during the game, but in the

celebrations afterwards.

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There are very few teams who have come through that entire qualification process to make the group stages, and they deserve such huge credit.

The fans are lapping it up, and they really believe this manager can deliver something big for the club. They were almost selling out friendlies against Bury and Wigan at the start of the season, and what they have seen since has only made them even more excited.

There seems to be a realisation that this team could be on the brink of something special, and what would be more special than a win over Celtic tomorrow?

If Rangers can go to Russia and get a result with nine men, then they will believe they can go to Celtic Park and get a result too. It certainly won’t be easy, because Celtic are a better team than Ufa.

Celtic know they probably have the better players overall, but they will also know for the first time in a good while they will be facing a team that will fight for absolutely everything over the 90 minutes.

Celtic might not have lost in the last 11 games against Rangers, but the Ibrox club’s own unbeaten run of 12 games since Gerrard took charge will give them great confidence too.

Celtic have been reading like everyone else about this resurgent Rangers team, and while they may not have been at their best so far this term, there is no doubt that they will be the toughest test so far.

This 90 minutes will give Gerrard his best indication yet of where his team really are and how far they have come. Fans feel it in their water that Rangers have turned the corner, but they aren’t all the way around it just yet.

If Rangers can defend better than they did against Motherwell last week, I think they have enough about them to get a draw, and I think they would take that right now.