BIG INTERVIEW ExclusIVE

RANGERS could hand up to nine players their Old Firm debuts at Ibrox on Saturday.

Bruno Alves, Ryan Jack, Graham Dorrans, Alfredo Morelos, Daniel Candeias, Fabio Cardoso are all likely starters for the season’s first encounter with Celtic.

And waiting in the wings are fellow summer arrivals Carlos Pena, Eduardo Herrera and Declan John.

It is a situation which strikes a chord with Sergio Porrini, the Champions League winner who, 20 years ago, joined the Light Blues in a similar raft of signings under Walter Smith.

Signings who went on to take part in a memorable win against the Hoops in the opening derby of a campaign which promised so much, yet ultimately delivered so little.

“There were quite a few of us new to it back then, too,” he said.

“We had our wee Italian contingent – myself, Rino Gattuso, Marco Negri and Lorenzo Amoruso, who stuck together.

“The club had also brought in some other foreign players – Jonas Thern, Stale Stensaas and Tony Vidmar.