Mark Warburton’s Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers visit Celtic for an Old Firm battle on Saturday.
Peter Lovenkrands has told The Belfast Telegraph that he is expecting to see a big performance from Joey Barton when Rangers visit Celtic on Saturday.
Parkhead plays host to a huge Old Firm clash this weekend as Rangers travel across Glasgow hoping to pick up a victory which would see them leapfrog Celtic – who have played one game less – at the summit of the Scottish Premiership.
There will be quite a lot of players who have never experienced such a fixture in the past; with the Gers signing 12 players during the summer, while Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers brought in five players himself.
An Old Firm seems tailor made for a no-nonsense midfielder such as Barton, and Lovenkrands, who knows all about this rivalry after spending six years at Rangers, expects the 33-year-old to stamp his authority on the clash this weekend.
“They are all experienced players who have played at a high level but it still takes time to get used to Scottish football,” he said to The Belfast Telegraph. “How they will help the other players and especially the younger ones on this occasion is so important.
“Joey is very vocal and dominant on the pitch and I would expect him to do well as it is a massive game for Rangers.”
The prospect of seeing Barton come up against Celtic skipper Scott Brown is rather exciting; not only because they are similar players, which can often throw up fireworks, but because the former Premier League midfielder claimed in the summer that he was a league above his Celtic counterpart.
Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but both players will be determined to prove a point come Saturday.
Rangers’ Joey Barton looks dejected after Burnley’s second goal
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
