Three burning Rangers issues as Tom Lawrence injury poses Celtic replacement question

The Light Blues trail Ange Postecoglu’s side by two points heading into the powderkeg fixture with the hosts boasting a 100 percent record thus far.

Here are the three burning issues facing Rangers ahead of the first Old Firm clash of the season.

How important is the result?

Despite the league season being a mere six games old, Celtic have the possibility of opening up a substantial five-point gap at the summit. If truth be told, both sides really should be going into the fixture with perfect records. Unfortunately, for Rangers, Willie Collum’s ineptitude at Easter Road sees them trailing their Glasgow rivals.

The Parkhead side have been blowing teams away and will be buoyant after last week’s 9-0 demolition of an abysmal Dundee United at Tannadice. They don’t look like dropping many points to clubs outwith Rangers so the match may just fall into the ‘must not lose’ bracket. Every Rangers supporter would love to take home all three points but there has to be an element of realism factored in and with that, a draw would be a decent result.

Who replaces Tom Lawrence?

The loss of Lawrence due to injury is a huge blow for Rangers, not just for the Old Firm game but for the series of high-profile fixtures on the horizon.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst confirmed the Welshman won't be available for some time when quizzed yesterday. He said: "Of course, it’s never good to be sidelined as a player.

"Tom had a great start to his Rangers career and as a coach, it’s disappointing that he is not available for a couple of weeks. You know in football that sometimes happens. We just need to get him back as soon as possible and perform with the players we have available."

The former Derby skipper had enjoyed a bright start to his Ibrox career and the hostile Parkhead atmosphere would’ve been an environment he would’ve revelled in. As it is, Rangers need to find someone who can deputise for him.

Scott Arfield would be an immediate consideration. He offers a similar goal threat and those late runs into the box would help alleviate Lawrence’s absence somewhat. Van Bronckhorst may also decide to pitch Steven Davis in given his defensive qualities and ability to break the lines with a single pass.

There are options for the Rangers manager to choose from, there’s no question he’d love a fit Lawrence from the off but whether he opts for Arfield, Wright or Davis, he possesses players who are no stranger to the intensity of Old Firm day.

How do Rangers contain Celtic?

The Parkhead side is brimming with confidence and rightly so. They’ve racked up five wins from their opening five league games, scoring 21 goals and conceding just once. In Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Jota, Daizen Maeda and new signing Sead Hakšabanović, they had an array of attacking options that are capable of inflicting serious damage.

Rangers are going to have to be resolute and compact and prevent balls coming in from wide areas as easily as we witnessed in February’s debacle of a display last season. There also needs to be an element of bravery within the Rangers backline. With Jon McLaughlin likely to take his place between the sticks, the Ibrox club will no doubt look to entice Celtic onto them as they build from the back. Precision of passing and an ability to stride through the Celtic press could be key to achieving a positive result.

Rangers will have to weather some storms but, as we witnessed recently in Eindhoven, they are capable of nullifying a potent strikeforce.