Foderingham optimistic of second Old Firm victory

Wes Foderingham admits the last Celtic team his Rangers side managed to beat were “not a great side”.

But the Rangers goalkeeper reckons victory over Brendan Rodgers’ current version would represent a huge scalp, ahead of the opening Old Firm derby of the campaign at Ibrox today.

Rangers last season lost three of their four showdowns with the unbeaten Hoops – including two 5-1 drubbings.

Foderingham has tasted victory in the fixture, having helped Mark Warburton’s Light Blues clinch a penalty shoot-out triumph in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals 18 months ago.

But the Rangers number one accepts Pedro Caixinha’s new-look side will line up against a far superior Celtic team this weekend to the one assembled by Ronny Deila.

He said: “We were playing in the Championship but Celtic were not a great side. Let’s be honest, they were not a great side when we beat them.

“They were not playing terrifically well, but confidence was really high in the Rangers team. But if we can put on a better performance against them in the league and get some wins then that will definitely be a massive achievement.

“Can we go toe to toe with them this time? Of course. They have quality but we have quality. It’s two good teams going head to head.

“Can we cause them problems? Yes. Can they cause us problems? Yes, so it’s about who turns up on the day and hopefully it’s us.

“We have improved on last season. We’ve strengthened, the squad has got better, we’ve got more numbers in so we are in a good position. We feel we’re better placed to challenge.”

Gers boss Pedro Caixinha is keeping his fingers crossed that his defensive crisis does not deepen.

Skipper Lee Wallace (groin) and centre-back Danny Wilson (calf) are both definitely out of the showdown with Celtic, while Bruno Alves (calf) and Declan John (thigh) are facing a race against time to be fit. If Alves fails to recover, it could mean a first start for youngster Ross McCrorie.