Mark Warburton’s Glasgow Rangers side are gearing up for the first Old Firm clash of the season.
Rangers’ Clint Hill
Rangers defender Clint Hill has admitted to the Evening Times that he has never experienced anything like an Old Firm game during his career, before outlining what he is expecting from the fixture.
The Gers meet Celtic in the first game following the international break. And after several years without a league fixture between the two giants, it is safe to say that there will be a huge amount of anticipation around Glasgow ahead of the contest.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
And Hill has explained what he imagines the game will be like to play in, and hinted that the stature of the fixture is so big that it has the potential to overawe the very best.
“They are a good team. I’ve never experienced a game like that with the atmosphere and so I can’t really comment on it,” he told the Evening Times.
Clint Hill, during his time with QPR
“But I imagine it will be tough, played at full pace and be full-blooded and we need to be at it from the start.
“I’ve been speaking to boys around the club and there have been bigger and better international players than me who have been blown away by the atmosphere and the occasion and have struggled.”
Hill replaced Danny Wilson at short notice against Kilmarnock
Though the former Queens Park Rangers man will lack the pace to cope with Celtic’s attack, his experience could arguably bring him into Mark Warburton’s thinking when it comes to selecting a team.
The 37-year-old demonstrated his professionalism in the Light Blues’ most recent game – Hill came into the starting line-up at short notice after Danny Wilson suffered an injury in the warm-up (via Express) and put in a solid performance against Kilmarnock – and Warburton may think that that reliability could be crucial against the Hoops, especially if Wilson is struggling to shake off the knock.
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